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Evolution

1983

Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History

science

non-fiction

evolution

nonfiction

Stephen Jay Gould - 1983

Over a century after Darwin published the Origin of Species, Darwinian theory is in a "vibrantly healthy state," writes Stephen Jay Gould, its most engaging and illuminating exponent.

Exploring the "peculiar and mysterious particulars of nature," Gould introduces the reader to some of the many and wonderful manifestations of evolutionary biology.

The Klamath Knot: Explorations of Myth and Evolution

David Rains Wallace - 1983

Winner of the John Burroughs Medal for Nature Writing, the Commonwealth Club Silver Medal for Literature 1984, and named one of the twentieth century's best nonfiction books by the San Francisco Chronicle, The Klamath Knot, originally published by Sierra Club Books in 1983, is a personal vision of wilderness in the Klamath Mountains of northwest California and southwest Oregon, seen through the lens of "evolutionary mythology." David Rains Wallace uses his explorations of the diverse ecosystems in this region to ponder the role of evolution and myth in our culture.

The author's new epilogue makes a case for the creation of a new park to safeguard this exceptionally rich storehouse of relict species and evolutionary stories, which has largely been bypassed by conservationists since John Muir.

The Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution

Motoo Kimura - 1983

Motoo Kimura, as founder of the neutral theory, is uniquely placed to write this book.

He first proposed the theory in 1968 to explain the unexpectedly high rate of evolutionary change and very large amount of intraspecific variability at the molecular level that had been uncovered by new techniques in molecular biology. The theory - which asserts that the great majority of evolutionary changes at the molecular level are caused not by Darwinian selection but by random drift of selectively neutral mutants - has caused controversy ever since. This book is the first comprehensive treatment of this subject and the author synthesises a wealth of material - ranging from a historical perspective, through recent molecular discoveries, to sophisticated mathematical arguments - all presented in a most lucid manner.

Too Many Women?: The Sex Ratio Question

Marcia Guttentag - 1983

`The basic premise of this provocative book is a startling one - that sex ratios among people on the marriage market have profound consequences for a wide variety of attitudes, values, and behaviors, from sexual mores and behavior to shifts in economic power...the authors share with the reader a wealth of fascinating data and information...a book which is...fascinating, scholarly, provocative and exceedingly well-written.′ -- Canadian Journal of Sociology, Vol 10 No 2 `Written by social scientists with training and considerable publication in social psychology, this book is a unique contribution to the literature on women, sex roles, and the history of relations between men and women.