Rosemary and Peter Grant and those assisting them have spendtwenty years on Daphne Major, an island in the Galapagos studyingnatural selection. They recognize each individual bird on theisland, when there are four hundred at the time of the author'svisit, or when there are over a thousand. They have observed abouttwenty generations of finches -- continuously. Jonathan Weiner follows these scientists as they watch Darwin'sfinches and come up with a new understanding of life itself.
Perhaps the most readable and accessible of the great works ofscientific imagination, The Origin of Species sold out on the dayit was published in 1859. Theologians quickly labeled CharlesDarwin the most dangerous man in England, and, as the SaturdayReview noted, the uproar over the book quickly "passed beyond thebounds of the study and lecture-room into the drawing-room and thepublic street." Yet, after reading it, Darwin's friend andcolleague T. H. Huxley had a different reaction: "How extremelystupid not to have thought of that." Based largely on Darwin's experience as a naturalist while on afive-year voyage aboard H.M.S. Beagle, The Origin of Species setforth a theory of evolution and natural selection that challengedcontemporary beliefs about divine providence and the immutabilityof species. A landmark contribution to philosophical and scientificthought, this edition also includes an introductory historicalsketch and a glossary Darwin later added to the originaltext. Charles Darwin grew up considered,
How did the replication bomb we call life begin and where inthe world, or rather, in the universe, is it heading? Writing withcharacteristic wit and an ability to clarify complex phenomena (theNew York Times described his style as the sort of science writingthat makes the reader feel like a genius), Richard Dawkinsconfronts this ancient mystery.
From Nobel Prize-winning scientist James D. Watson, a livinglegend for his work unlocking the structure of DNA, comes thiscandid and entertaining memoir, filled with practical advice forthose starting out their academic careers. In Avoid Boring People , Watson lays down a life’s wisdom forgetting ahead in a competitive world. Witty and uncompromisinglyhonest, he shares his thoughts on how young scientists shouldchoose the projects that will shape their careers, the supremeimportance of collegiality, and dealing with competitors within thesame institution. It’s an irreverent romp through Watson’s colorfulcareer and an indispensable guide to anyone interested in nurturingthe life of the mind.
With commentary by the greatest physicist of our time, StephenHawking, this anthology has garnered impressive reviews. PW hascalled it a gem of a collection while New Scientist magazine notesthe thrill of reading Einsteins own words. From the writings thatrevealed the famous Theory of Relativity, to other papers thatshook the scientific world of the 20th century, A StubbornlyPersistent Illusion belongs in every science fans library.
A dazzling journey across the sciences and humanities in searchof deep laws to unite them. -- The Wall Street Journal One of our greatest living scientists--and the winner of twoPulitzer Prizes for On Human Nature and TheAnts --gives us a work of visionary importance that may be thecrowning achievement of his career. In Consilience (a wordthat originally meant "jumping together"), Edward O. Wilson renewsthe Enlightenment's search for a unified theory of knowledge indisciplines that range from physics to biology, the social sciencesand the humanities. Using the natural sciences as his model, Wilson forges dramaticlinks between fields. He explores the chemistry of the mind and thegenetic bases of culture. He postulates the biological principlesunderlying works of art from cave-drawings to Lolita. Presentingthe latest findings in prose of wonderful clarity and oratoricaleloquence, and synthesizing it into a dazzling whole, Consilience is science in the path-clearing traditions ofNewton, Einstein, and R