Convergent Evolution On Earth
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Convergent Evolution On Earth
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Author : George R. McGhee, Jr.
language : en
Publisher: MIT Press
Release Date : 2019-10-15
Convergent Evolution On Earth written by George R. McGhee, Jr. and has been published by MIT Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2019-10-15 with Science categories.
An analysis of patterns of convergent evolution on Earth that suggests where we might look for similar convergent forms on other planets. Why does a sea lily look like a palm tree? And why is a sea lily called a “lily” when it is a marine animal and not a plant? Many marine animals bear a noticeable similarity in form to land-dwelling plants. And yet these marine animal forms evolved in the oceans first; land plants independently and convergently evolved similar forms much later in geologic time. In this book, George McGhee analyzes patterns of convergent evolution on Earth and argues that these patterns offer lessons for the search for life elsewhere in the universe. Our Earth is a water world; 71 percent of the earth's surface is covered by water. The fossil record shows that multicellular life on dry land is a new phenomenon; for the vast majority of the earth's history—3,500 million years of its 4,560 million years of existence—complex life existed only in the oceans. Explaining that convergent biological evolution occurs because of limited evolutionary pathways, McGhee examines examples of convergent evolution in forms of feeding, immobility and mobility, defense, and organ systems. McGhee suggests that the patterns of convergent evolution that we see in our own water world indicate the potential for similar convergent forms in other water worlds. We should search for extraterrestrial life on water worlds, and for technological life on water worlds with continental landmasses.
Convergent Evolution On Earth
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Author : George R. McGhee
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2019
Convergent Evolution On Earth written by George R. McGhee and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2019 with Convergence (Biology) categories.
Convergent Evolution
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Author : George R. McGhee
language : en
Publisher: MIT Press
Release Date : 2011
Convergent Evolution written by George R. McGhee and has been published by MIT Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2011 with Computers categories.
Convergent evolution occurs on all levels, from tiny organic molecules to entire ecosystems of species.
Contingency And Convergence
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Author : Russell Powell
language : en
Publisher: MIT Press
Release Date : 2020-02-04
Contingency And Convergence written by Russell Powell and has been published by MIT Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2020-02-04 with Science categories.
Can we can use the patterns and processes of convergent evolution to make inferences about universal laws of life, on Earth and elsewhere? In this book, Russell Powell investigates whether we can use the patterns and processes of convergent evolution to make inferences about universal laws of life, on Earth and elsewhere. Weaving together disparate philosophical and empirical threads, Powell offers the first detailed analysis of the interplay between contingency and convergence in macroevolution, as it relates to both complex life in general and cognitively complex life in particular. If the evolution of mind is not a historical accident, the product of convergence rather than contingency, then, Powell asks, is mind likely to be an evolutionarily important feature of any living world? Stephen Jay Gould argued for the primacy of contingency in evolution. Gould's “radical contingency thesis” (RCT) has been challenged, but critics have largely failed to engage with its core claims and theoretical commitments. Powell fills this gap. He first examines convergent regularities at both temporal and phylogenetic depths, finding evidence that both vindicates and rebuffs Gould's argument for contingency. Powell follows this partial defense of the RCT with a substantive critique. Among the evolutionary outcomes that might defy the RCT, he argues, cognition is particularly important—not only for human-specific issues of the evolution of intelligence and consciousness but also for the large-scale ecological organization of macroscopic living worlds. Turning his attention to complex cognitive life, Powell considers what patterns of cognitive convergence tell us about the nature of mind, its evolution, and its place in the universe. If complex bodies are common in the universe, might complex minds be common as well?
Convergent Evolution
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Author : George R. McGhee
language : en
Publisher:
Release Date : 2011
Convergent Evolution written by George R. McGhee and has been published by this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2011 with Convergence (Biology) categories.
An analysis of convergent evolution, from molecules to ecosystems, demonstrating the limited number of evolutionary pathways available to life.
Life S Solution
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Author : Simon Conway Morris
language : en
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Release Date : 2003-09-04
Life S Solution written by Simon Conway Morris and has been published by Cambridge University Press this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2003-09-04 with Science categories.
The assassin's bullet misses, the Archduke's carriage moves forward, and a catastrophic war is avoided. So too with the history of life. Re-run the tape of life, as Stephen J. Gould claimed, and the outcome must be entirely different: an alien world, without humans and maybe not even intelligence. The history of life is littered with accidents: any twist or turn may lead to a completely different world. Now this view is being challenged. Simon Conway Morris explores the evidence demonstrating life's almost eerie ability to navigate to a single solution, repeatedly. Eyes, brains, tools, even culture: all are very much on the cards. So if these are all evolutionary inevitabilities, where are our counterparts across the galaxy? The tape of life can only run on a suitable planet, and it seems that such Earth-like planets may be much rarer than hoped. Inevitable humans, yes, but in a lonely Universe.
Improbable Destinies
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Author : Jonathan B. Losos
language : en
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date : 2017-08-08
Improbable Destinies written by Jonathan B. Losos and has been published by Penguin this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2017-08-08 with Science categories.
A major new book overturning our assumptions about how evolution works Earth’s natural history is full of fascinating instances of convergence: phenomena like eyes and wings and tree-climbing lizards that have evolved independently, multiple times. But evolutionary biologists also point out many examples of contingency, cases where the tiniest change—a random mutation or an ancient butterfly sneeze—caused evolution to take a completely different course. What role does each force really play in the constantly changing natural world? Are the plants and animals that exist today, and we humans ourselves, inevitabilities or evolutionary flukes? And what does that say about life on other planets? Jonathan Losos reveals what the latest breakthroughs in evolutionary biology can tell us about one of the greatest ongoing debates in science. He takes us around the globe to meet the researchers who are solving the deepest mysteries of life on Earth through their work in experimental evolutionary science. Losos himself is one of the leaders in this exciting new field, and he illustrates how experiments with guppies, fruit flies, bacteria, foxes, and field mice, along with his own work with anole lizards on Caribbean islands, are rewinding the tape of life to reveal just how rapid and predictable evolution can be. Improbable Destinies will change the way we think and talk about evolution. Losos's insights into natural selection and evolutionary change have far-reaching applications for protecting ecosystems, securing our food supply, and fighting off harmful viruses and bacteria. This compelling narrative offers a new understanding of ourselves and our role in the natural world and the cosmos.
Culture History And Convergent Evolution
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Author : Huw S. Groucutt
language : en
Publisher: Springer Nature
Release Date : 2020-07-23
Culture History And Convergent Evolution written by Huw S. Groucutt and has been published by Springer Nature this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2020-07-23 with Science categories.
This volume brings together diverse contributions from leading archaeologists and paleoanthropologists, covering various spatial and temporal periods to distinguish convergent evolution from cultural transmission in order to see if we can discover ancient human populations. With a focus on lithic technology, the book analyzes ancient materials and cultures to systematically explore the theoretical and physical aspects of culture, convergence, and populations in human evolution and prehistory. The book will be of interest to academics, students and researchers in archaeology, paleoanthropology, genetics, and paleontology. The book begins by addressing early prehistory, discussing the convergent evolution of behaviors and the diverse ecological conditions driving the success of different evolutionary paths. Chapters discuss these topics and technology in the context of the Lower Paleolithic/Earlier Stone age and Middle Paleolithic/Middle Stone Age. The book then moves towards a focus on the prehistory of our species over the last 40,000 years. Topics covered include the human evolutionary and dispersal consequences of the Middle-Upper Paleolithic Transition in Western Eurasia. Readers will also learn about the cultural convergences, and divergences, that occurred during the Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene, such as the budding of human societies in the Americas. The book concludes by integrating these various perspectives and theories, and explores different methods of analysis to link technological developments and cultural convergence.
Billions Of Years Amazing Changes
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Author : Laurence Pringle
language : en
Publisher: Astra Publishing House
Release Date : 2023-10-03
Billions Of Years Amazing Changes written by Laurence Pringle and has been published by Astra Publishing House this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2023-10-03 with Juvenile Nonfiction categories.
This highly engaging exploration of the concept of evolution lays out the history of life on earth—what we know and how we know it. Ever since Charles Darwin revealed his landmark ideas about evolution in 1859, new findings have confirmed, expanded, and refined his concepts. This ALSC Notable children's book brings together the pillars of evidence that support our understanding of evolution. In addition to stunning illustrations, more than fifty photographs capture natural marvels, including awe-inspiring fossils, life forms, and geological wonders. The result is a full and clear account of the monumental evidence supporting the modern view of evolution.
The Basics Of Evolution
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Author : Anne Wanjie
language : en
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group
Release Date : 2013-07-15
The Basics Of Evolution written by Anne Wanjie and has been published by The Rosen Publishing Group this book supported file pdf, txt, epub, kindle and other format this book has been release on 2013-07-15 with Juvenile Nonfiction categories.
This compelling text examines evolution, its definition, the scientific evidence that evolution has taken place, natural selection, Darwin's Origin of Species, genetics and evolution, population genetics, patterns in evolution and species concepts, the story of life and geological time, and human evolution. The easy-to-follow narrative offers students additional biological information in sidebars, such as "Closeup" boxes that give details about main concepts, "Try This" boxes that provide safe experiments for readers to perform, "What Do You Think?" panels that challenge students' reading comprehension, "Applications" boxes that describe how biological knowledge improves daily life, "Red Herring" boxes that profile failed theories, "Hot Debate" panels that spotlight the disagreements and discussions that rage in the biological sciences, and "Genetic Perspective" boxes that summarize the latest genetic research. The text serves as a must-have resource on modern thinking about evolution and the history of evolutionary theories.