Evolution: A Scientific American ReaderScientific American University of Chicago Press, 2008 M09 15 - 312 páginas From the Scopes “Monkey Trial” of 1925 to the court ruling against the Dover Area School Board’s proposed intelligent design curriculum in 2005, few scientific topics have engendered as much controversy—or grabbed as many headlines—as evolution. And since the debate shows no signs of abating, there is perhaps no better time to step back and ask: What is evolution? Defined as the gradual process by which something changes into a different and usually more complex and efficient form, evolution explains the formation of the universe, the nature of viruses, and the emergence of humans. A first-rate summary of the actual science of evolution, this Scientific American reader is a timely collection that gives readers an opportunity to consider evolution’s impact in various settings. |
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... chemistry and no life. On the other hand, if nuclear forces were slightly stronger, hydrogen itself could not exist. Some would argue that this fine-tuning of the universe, which seems so providential, is nothing to be surprised about ...
... chemical reactions in a geologically active environment. Equally im- portant, this observation tells us that life may originate along similar lines in any place with chemical and environmental conditions akin to those of Earth. The ...
... chemical bonds , rather than strictly its abun- dance . Carbon also exists readily as carbon dioxide , available as a gas or dissolved in water . Silicon dioxide , on the other hand , exists plentifully in neither form and would be much ...
... chemical disequilibrium, which fosters the reactions necessary to spawn living systems. On Earth today, nearly all of life's energy comes from the sun, through photosynthesis. Yet chemical energy sources suffice—and would be more ...
... chemical interac- tions of liquid water and rock. Recent analysis of Martian meteorites found on Earth has led many sci- entists to conclude that life may have once thrived on Mars—based on fos- sil remnants seen within the rock. Yet ...
Contenido
Cellular Evolution | 85 |
Dinosaurs and Other Monsters | 169 |
Human Evolution | 249 |
Contents | 362 |
Illustration Credits | 364 |
The Evolution of the Universe | 1 |
Cellular Evolution | 85 |
Dinosaurs and Other Monsters | 169 |
Human Evolution | 249 |