Selection: The Mechanism of Evolution
dic 2012 · Springer Science & Business Media
eBook
699
Páginas
Información sobre este eBook
Thisbookhasbeenwritten tomake a pointand tofulfill a need. Thepoint is that the importance and the distinctiveness of the process of selection have been undervalued by most biologists. There is, consequently, the need for a book that describes the principles of selection in a simple but reasonably comprehensive way. Selection Is a Distinct Kind ofProcess Although we are now well into the second century of Darwinism, the theorythatDarwinand Wallaceannouncedin 1858hasnotyetmademuch progress beyond a small coterie of professional biologists. The reason is thatit isjarringlyunfamiliar toournormalexperienceofhow things come to be. Few ofus would be able to design a light bulb or a lathe, still fewer the computerand itsattendant softwarewithwhich this sentence is being written. But we all have a clear idea of what is meant by "design", and we readily, too readily, transfer this notion to the natural world. A light bulb or a lathe are prefigured in the mind, and constructed according to a plan. It is entirely reasonable to assume that beetles and daisies must be constructed after the same fashion, especially because they are much morecomplicatedthananythingthathumaningenuityhassofarmanaged to devise. There is, however, a second route to complex organization, throughtheselectionofrandomvariantsthatpropagatenearlyexactcopies ofthemselves. Itisofverylittleconsequenceinourdailylives,becauseifis somuchmorelaboriousandexpensivethandeliberatedesign. However,it isanotherwayofconstructingthings. Indeed, sofarasIknow, itistheonly other way of constructing things that we have ever been able to imagine.
Thisbookhasbeenwritten tomake a pointand tofulfill a need. Thepoint is that the importance and the distinctiveness of the process of selection have been undervalued by most biologists. There is, consequently, the need for a book that describes the principles of selection in a simple but reasonabl...
Descubre más
Valorar este eBook
Danos tu opinión.
Información sobre cómo leer
Smartphones y tablets
Instala la aplicación Google Play Libros para Android y iPad/iPhone. Se sincroniza automáticamente con tu cuenta y te permite leer contenido online o sin conexión estés donde estés.
Ordenadores portátiles y de escritorio
Puedes usar el navegador web del ordenador para escuchar audiolibros que hayas comprado en Google Play.
eReaders y otros dispositivos
Para leer en dispositivos de tinta electrónica, como los lectores de libros electrónicos de Kobo, es necesario descargar un archivo y transferirlo al dispositivo. Sigue las instrucciones detalladas del Centro de Ayuda para transferir archivos a lectores de libros electrónicos compatibles.
