How the Leopard Changed Its Spots: Evolution of Complexity
Condition: SECONDHAND
NB: This is a secondhand book in very good condition. See our FAQs for more information. Please note that the jacket image is indicative only. A description of our secondhand books is not always available. Please contact us if you have a question about this title.
Author: B. C. Goodwin
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 240
Darwin's concept of the origin of species by natural selection has been a spectacularly successful and durable scientific theory, but it arguably fails in a basic objective, which is to explain the origins of the qualitative differences of structure between species. Life on earth is described purely in historical terms, with no explanation of how different forms of organisms are generated. This text argues that it is possible to understand evolution as a process that is "pushed" by the intrinsic properties of living matter, rather than "pulled" by natural selection. It shows that seemingly complex structures such as wings or eyes can be built up in a series of simple self-organizing steps, self-organizing in the sense that they arise directly from the chemistry of the developing organism's tissues. In this way, developmental biology acquires the precision of the physical sciences.
Author: B. C. Goodwin
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 240
Darwin's concept of the origin of species by natural selection has been a spectacularly successful and durable scientific theory, but it arguably fails in a basic objective, which is to explain the origins of the qualitative differences of structure between species. Life on earth is described purely in historical terms, with no explanation of how different forms of organisms are generated. This text argues that it is possible to understand evolution as a process that is "pushed" by the intrinsic properties of living matter, rather than "pulled" by natural selection. It shows that seemingly complex structures such as wings or eyes can be built up in a series of simple self-organizing steps, self-organizing in the sense that they arise directly from the chemistry of the developing organism's tissues. In this way, developmental biology acquires the precision of the physical sciences.
Description
NB: This is a secondhand book in very good condition. See our FAQs for more information. Please note that the jacket image is indicative only. A description of our secondhand books is not always available. Please contact us if you have a question about this title.
Author: B. C. Goodwin
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 240
Darwin's concept of the origin of species by natural selection has been a spectacularly successful and durable scientific theory, but it arguably fails in a basic objective, which is to explain the origins of the qualitative differences of structure between species. Life on earth is described purely in historical terms, with no explanation of how different forms of organisms are generated. This text argues that it is possible to understand evolution as a process that is "pushed" by the intrinsic properties of living matter, rather than "pulled" by natural selection. It shows that seemingly complex structures such as wings or eyes can be built up in a series of simple self-organizing steps, self-organizing in the sense that they arise directly from the chemistry of the developing organism's tissues. In this way, developmental biology acquires the precision of the physical sciences.
Author: B. C. Goodwin
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 240
Darwin's concept of the origin of species by natural selection has been a spectacularly successful and durable scientific theory, but it arguably fails in a basic objective, which is to explain the origins of the qualitative differences of structure between species. Life on earth is described purely in historical terms, with no explanation of how different forms of organisms are generated. This text argues that it is possible to understand evolution as a process that is "pushed" by the intrinsic properties of living matter, rather than "pulled" by natural selection. It shows that seemingly complex structures such as wings or eyes can be built up in a series of simple self-organizing steps, self-organizing in the sense that they arise directly from the chemistry of the developing organism's tissues. In this way, developmental biology acquires the precision of the physical sciences.
How the Leopard Changed Its Spots: Evolution of Complexity