De Waal reminds readers through his account of the chimps' sexual rivalries and coalitions, and intelligent rather than instinctual actions, that the roots of politics are older than humanity.

    He proposes that we look at evolution as a battle between genes instead of between whole organisms. We can then view changes in phenotypes—the end products of genes, like eye color or leaf shape, which are usually considered to increase the fitness of an individual—as serving the evolutionary interests of genes.Dawkins makes a convincing case that considering one’s body, personality, and environment as a field of combat in a kind of “arms race” between genes fighting to express themselves on a strand of DNA can clarify and extend the idea of survival of the fittest. This influential and controversial book illuminates the complex world of genetics in an engaging, lively manner.

    And no book has ever established the life sciences so firmly in the mainstream of Western intellectual history as The Growth of Biological Thought. Ten years in preparation, this is a work of epic proportions, tracing the development of the major problems of biology from the earliest attempts to find order in the diversity of life to modern research into the mechanisms of gene transmission.

    The descriptive text includes information on size, geological period, geographical distribution, and ecology of the animal or plant before it was fossilized. In addition, the book provides lists of Geological Survey offices and major fossil collections, a geological time chart, and a guide to collecting and preserving fossils.

    Teaches the structure and function of plants and surveys the entire plant kingdom.

    The response to this outpouring is an updated edition of this widely regarded classic. First published in 1979, this was the first textbook on spiders since 1930; the new edition contains all the information gathered since that time, including the entire world literature on spiders up to 1994. The author has completely updated and revised chapters on ecology, phylogeny and systematics to reflect current knowledge. Over 200 illustrations are included as well as an extensive reference section. The only modern textbook available on the subject, this will prove an invaluable resource for professionals, students, and researchers in zoology, entomology, ecology and physiology.

    Gould's brilliant, funny, engaging prose dissects the motivations behind those who would judge intelligence, and hence worth, by cranial size, convolutions, or score on extremely narrow tests. How did scientists decide that intelligence was unipolar and quantifiable? Why did the standard keep changing over time? Gould's answer is clear and simple: power maintains itself. European men of the 19th century, even before Darwin, saw themselves as the pinnacle of creation and sought to prove this assertion through hard measurement. When one measure was found to place members of some "inferior" group such as women or Southeast Asians over the supposedly rightful champions, it would be discarded and replaced with a new, more comfortable measure. The 20th-century obsession with numbers led to the institutionalization of IQ testing and subsequent assignment to work (and rewards) commensurate with the score, shown by Gould to be not simply misguided--for surely intelligence is multifactorial--but also regressive, creating a feedback loop rewarding the rich and powerful. The revised edition includes a scathing critique of Herrnstein and Murray's The Bell Curve, taking them to task for rehashing old arguments to exploit a new political wave of uncaring belt tightening. It might not make you any smarter, but The Mismeasure of Man will certainly make you think.--Rob LightnerThis edition is revised and expanded, with a new introduction

    The mosquito has become resistant to DDT; malaria is on the rise; although tapeworms rarely turn up any longer in the most lovingly prepared New York City gefilte fish, a worm may inhabit your sashimi; some strains of gonorrhea actually thrive on penicillin; there is even a parasite for the higher tax brackets—the "nymph of Nantucket"; and there are new ailments—legionnaire's disease, Lassa fever, and new strains of influenza.In the long run, one might bet on the insects and the germs. Meanwhile Dr. Robert Desowitz has written a delightful and instructive book.

    Devlin's Textbook of Biochemistry with Clinical Correlations presents the biochemistry of mammalian cells, relates events at a cellular level to the subsequent physiological processes in the whole animal, and cites examples of human diseases derived from aberrant biochemical processes. The organization and content are tied together to provide students with the complete picture of biochemistry and how it relates to humans. Loaded with new material and chapters and brimming with detailed, full-color illustrations that clearly explain associated concepts, this sixth edition is an indispensable tool for students and professionals in the medical or health sciences. Key Features of the Sixth Edition Over 250 Clinical Correlations highlighting the significance of the biochemistry to clinical conditions and diseases MCAT-Style Questions with annontated answers in every chapter - in a format similar to that used by the National Board of Medical Examiners More than 1,200 high-quality, full-color illustrations A concise appendix reviewing important Organic Chemistry Concepts New to the Sixth Edition: Fully Updated with a significant revision of all chapters and major topics Two new chapters: Fundamentals of Signal Transduction and Cell Cycle, Programmed Cell Death, and Cancer A Glossary that explains important biochemical terms New sections on the Basal Lamina Protein Complex and Molecular Motors

    Since then, revolutions have taken place in genetics, molecular biology, and neuroscience. All of these innovations have been brought into account in this greatly expanded edition of a book originally called an "overwhelming achievement" by The Times Literary Supplement. A masterful synthesis of biology, psychology, anthropology, and philosophy, The Tangled Wing reveals human identity and activity to be an intricately woven fabric of innumerable factors. Melvin Konner's sensitive and straightforward discussion ranges across topics such as the roots of aggression, the basis of attachment and desire, the differences between the sexes, and the foundations of mental illness.

    Generously illustrated and easy to follow, it not only allows students to sample the full range of life forms inhabiting our planet but to familiarize themselves with the taxonomic theories by which all organisms' origins and distinctive characteristics are traced and classified.This completely revised and updated third edition includes an introduction by Stephen Jay Gould.* New ideas on molecular systematics, symbiogenisis, and the place of microbes in the evolution of life* Newly expanded chapter openings that define each kingdom and place its members in context in time and space* Definitions of terms in the glossary and, now, also appropriately placed throughout the book* A new table comparing the main features of each kingdom, showing the logic of the overall classification scheme* A list of prehistoric dioramas in science museums and in U.S. national parks and monuments guiding readers to trips to the past* A list of websites directing students to additional information

    Authors James Nybakken and Mark Bertness provide a unique ecological approach that helps students understand the real-world relevance of marine biology by exploring how organisms interact within their individual ecosystems. The text is organized by habitat, not classification, with each habitat receiving detailed, in-depth coverage that draws students into the subject matter. In addition, new co-author Mark Bertness's expertise and familiarity with East Coast marine life adds a balanced dimension to the coverage of the Atlantic and Pacific environments. In addition to a new Taxonomic Appendix containing a detailed map of marine taxonomy, the Sixth Edition is fully updated with the latest research data and topics. These include new coverage of the intertidal zone, salt marshes and estuaries, and tropical communities, as well as a revised discussion of humans' impact on the sea. The new edition's pedagogy features end-of-chapter summaries, a full-color design, and a companion website designed just for students.

    Three key ideas replace the notion that a "primordial soup" of organic molecules was essential in this explanation of how life on Earth evolved.

    . . . High adventure, absorbing science." --New Yorker

    An authoritative, visual presentation by a highly respected anthropologist, the second edition of this popular classic is entirely rewritten, with 40% new drawings, and includes the latest discoveries in human and primate evolution.

    

    This spectacular catalog features 180 families of birds.

    Even the most seasoned young dinosaur fan will discover something new and fascinating.

    Describes scientists' attempts to find out how life began, including such topics as spontaneous generation and evolution.

    

    PISSARRO, HIS LIFE AND WRK

    Using many primary and secondary sources, this book analyses why such great thinkers as Aristotle, Aquinas, Ockham, Galileo, Kepler, Huygens, and Kant thought the debate over the plurality of worlds a subject for serious discussion. The author shows how conflicting arguments from science, philosophy, and theology gradually converged to the same opinion - that intelligent life must fill the universe.

    Man's activities have probably changed the earth's electromagnetic background to a greater degree than they have changed any other natural physical attribute of the earth. The evidence now indicates that the present abnormal electromagnetic environment constitutes a significant health risk.There are also positive aspects of the relationship between electromagnetism and life. Clinical uses of electromagnetic energy are increasing and promise to expand into important areas in the near future. This book synthesizes the various aspects of the role of electricity in biology.

    With this long-awaited new edition, Lynn Margulis and Michael Dolan integrate new discoveries from the past two decades, such as the enormous contribution of molecular biology, especially the accumulation of protein and DNA sequence information upon which the Woese three-domain system is based. Yet the prokaryotic-eukaryotic distinction remains the largest evolutionary discontinuity in life on Earth. Are the well-formed filaments found so recently in the Warrawoona Series of northwestern Australia really evidence of the oldest life on the planet? Do the fossils found in the great Gunflint Iron Formation of Ontario tell that bacteria were instrumental in the accumulation of the most important iron reserves in the world? These questions are not solved here, but they are raised for students, scientists, and general readers interested in the most basic evolution and its consequences. No special scientific background is required of the reader, only a lively interest.

    . . . All these pieces show the virtues one finds missing in . . . nearly all of anthropological history work but [Stocking's]: extensive and critical use of archival sources, tracing of real rather than merely plausible intellectual connections, and contextualization of ideas and movements in terms of broader social and cultural currents. Stocking writes very clearly; attacks important topics—race and evolution, the influence of scientism, the interaction between anthropology and other disciplines; and is methodologically very sophisticated. Though his main theme is the development of racialism and of opposition to it, his book bears on a range of issues very much alive in anthropology. . . . I would think no apprentice anthropologist ought to be pronounced a journeyman until he or she has absorbed what Stocking has to say."—Clifford Geertz, The Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton