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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... significance not only because it describes the ex- pansion of the universe but also because it can be used to calculate the age of the cosmos. To be precise, the time elapsed since the big bang is a func- tion of the present value of ...
... significant details of this pioneering work were in er- ror, it forged a link between nuclear physics and cosmology. The workers demonstrated that the early universe could be viewed as a type of ther- monuclear reactor. As a result ...
... significant amounts of any elements besides hydrogen and helium. The big bang produced hydrogen and helium, but most of the heavier elements are created only by the thermonuclear fusion reactions in stars, so they would not have been ...
... significance of hydrothermal systems in life's history appears in the " tree of life , " constructed recently from genetic sequences in RNA mole- cules , which carry forward genetic information . This tree arises from differences in RNA ...
... significant only on timescales that are truly cosmic. Still, for some it may seem disturbing that life, certainly in its physical incarnation, must come to an end. But to us, it is remarkable that even with our limited knowledge, we can ...
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 |