Книги. Художественная литература. Учебники и пособия.

Matt Ridley

In the follow-up to his bestseller, Genome , Matt Ridley takes on a centuries-old question: is it nature or nurture that makes us who we are? Ridley asserts that the question itself is a "false dichotomy." Using copious examples from human and animal behavior, he presents the notion that our environment affects the way our genes express themselves. Ridley writes that the switches controlling our 30,000 or so genes not only form the structures of our brains but do so in such a way as to cue off the outside environment in a tidy feedback loop of body and behavior. In fact, it seems clear that we have genetic "thermostats" that are turned up and down by environmental factors. He challenges both scientific and folk concepts, from assumptions of what's malleable in a person to sociobiological theories based solely on the "selfish gene." Ridley's proof is in the pudding for such touchy subjects as monogamy, aggression, and parenting, which we now understand have some...

Jean–Louis Serre

Diagnostic Techniques in Genetics offers a comprehensive coverage of the theory and practice of the molecular biology techniques used within medical genetics. The first part of the book focuses on DNA/RNA applications and includes many of the latest developments in the field combined with routine procedures of genetic diagnoses, for example cling and sequencing DNA. The DNA applications prese4nted are then each applied to a specific kind of genetic diagnosis and the text concludes with a chapter devoted to population genetics. The book provides a broad overview of the fundamental theory and applications used in the diagnosis of numerous genetic diseases. Each chapter has been written by leading professionals in the field and is intended to show how molecular biology( DNA or RNA technology) may be applied to a large set of genetic diagnoses. Comprehensive coverage of DNA applications and genetic diagnoses includes a chapter on population genetics ...

Luis Chiappe

The last few years have witnessed an unparalleled rate of discoveries of early birds and their dinosaurian predecessors. Written by a recognised authority in the field, Glorified Dinosaurs: The Origin and Early Evolution of Birds provides a comprehensive summary of these discoveries and addresses the fascinating topic of how modern birds evolved from fearsome dinosaurs akin to the celebrated Velociraptor. The book focuses on an evolutionary approach and presents current research and fossil discoveries. The title includes coloured photographs of fossils and fossil localities, many of which have been rarely reproduced elsewhere. Glorified Dinosaurs: The Origin and Early Evolution of Birds is an invaluable resource for every palaeontologist, ornithologist, evolutionary biologist, geology and life sciences student. It is also an exciting reading for people interested in dinosaurs and avian evolution and for all those with a general interests in the topic.

Charles Darwin, James A. Secord

This unique anthology brings together a marvelous collection of Darwin's most accessible and significant writings, providing the most fully rounded picture of his ideas to be found in a single volume. This marvelous book presents readers with the key chapters of his most important books, including excerpts from the Journal of Researches on the Beagle voyage (1845), the Origin of Species (1859), and the Descent of Man (1871), along with the full, authoritative text of Darwin's delightful autobiography Recollections. These writings are accompanied by generous selections of responses from Darwin's nineteenth-century readers, providing a keen sense of the original controversy sparked by his ideas. The wide-ranging Introduction by James A. Secord explores the global impact and origins of Darwin's work and the reasons for its unparalleled significance today. The book also includes a map of the Beagle's voyage, a biographical appendix identifying everyone mentioned in the texts,...

John H. Relethford

Researchers are increasingly turning to genetic data to help decipher the origins of modern humanity. Did we arise as a new species in Africa 200,000 years ago and then replace human populations outside of Africa (African replacement), or are we part of a single, evolving lineage extending back perhaps as far as two million years ago (multiregional evolution)? Genetics and the Search for Modern Human Origins is an introduction to the genetic evidence of modern human origins, including what it can show us about prehistory, population size, and migration. Weighing the various debates, the author argues for a multiregional view that our recent origins are mostly, but not exclusively, out of Africa. Taking into consideration the ongoing debate over modern human origins, this book offers a fascinating and educated look into the concepts, methods, and interpretations of human origins without weighing down the text with advanced mathematics or excessively technical language. John...

Aubrey Milunsky

Brand new edition of the world’s leading text on prenatal diagnosis This 6th Edition of Genetic Disorders and the Fetus maintains it’s pre–eminence as the major repository of facts about prenatal diagnosis. It provides a critical analysis and synthesis of established and new ...

Peter Wagner

We are all modern today. But modernity today is not what it used to be. Over the past few decades, modernity has been radically changed by globalization, individualization, new inequalities, and fundamentalism. A novel way of analysing contemporary societies is needed. This book proposes such an analysis. Every society seeks answers to certain basic questions: how to order life in common; how to satisfy human needs; how to establish knowledge. Sociology long assumed that the answers had been found once and for all: a liberal democratic state, a market economy, and free scientific institutions. This trinity used to be called "modern society". By contrast, this book is based on the idea that, under conditions of modernity, there are no stable and certain answers to these questions. There is a plurality of possible answers, every proposed answer can be criticized and contested, and every society needs to find its answer on its own. This new sociology of modernity proposes...

Matt Ridley

Science writer Matt Ridley has found a way to tell someone else's story without being accused of plagiarism. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters delves deep within your body (and, to be fair, Ridley's too) looking for dirt dug up by the Human Genome Project. Each chapter pries one gene out of its chromosome and focuses on its role in our development and adult life, but also goes further, exploring the implications of genetic research and our quickly changing social attitudes toward this information. Genome shies away from the "tedious biochemical middle managers" that only a nerd could love and instead goes for the A-material: genes associated with cancer, intelligence, sex (of course), and more. Readers unfamiliar with the jargon of genetic research needn't fear; Ridley provides a quick, clear guide to the few words and concepts he must use to translate hard science into English. His writing is informal, relaxed, and playful, guiding the reader so...

John Fiske

American historian John Fiske published in 1884 this discussion of humanity's origin, destiny and place in the universe. A leading populariser of Darwin's theory in the United States, Fiske discusses his views of human progress via evolutionary social change and the harmony between science and religion.

Patricia Ash

The Emergence of Humans is an accessible, informative introduction to the scientific study of human evolution. It takes the reader through time following the emergence of the modern human species Homo sapiens from primate roots. Acknowledging the controversy surrounding the interpretation of the fossil record, the authors present a balanced approach in an effort to do justice to different views. Each chapter covers a significant time period of evolutionary history and includes relevant techniques from other disciplines that have applications to the field of human evolution. Self–assessment questions linked to learning outcomes are provided for each chapter, together with further reading and reference to key sources in the primary literature. Written by two authors with a wealth of teaching experience The Emergence of Humans will prove invaluable to students in the biological and natural sciences needing a clear, balanced introduction to the...