The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the EnvironmentIsland Press, 30 июн. 2008 г. - Всего страниц: 472 In humanity’s more than 100,000 year history, we have evolved from vulnerable creatures clawing sustenance from Earth to a sophisticated global society manipulating every inch of it. In short, we have become the dominant animal. Why, then, are we creating a world that threatens our own species? What can we do to change the current trajectory toward more climate change, increased famine, and epidemic disease? Renowned Stanford scientists Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich believe that intelligently addressing those questions depends on a clear understanding of how we evolved and how and why we’re changing the planet in ways that darken our descendants’ future. The Dominant Animal arms readers with that knowledge, tracing the interplay between environmental change and genetic and cultural evolution since the dawn of humanity. In lucid and engaging prose, they describe how Homo sapiens adapted to their surroundings, eventually developing the vibrant cultures, vast scientific knowledge, and technological wizardry we know today. But the Ehrlichs also explore the flip side of this triumphant story of innovation and conquest. As we clear forests to raise crops and build cities, lace the continents with highways, and create chemicals never before seen in nature, we may be undermining our own supremacy. The threats of environmental damage are clear from the daily headlines, but the outcome is far from destined. Humanity can again adapt—if we learn from our evolutionary past. Those lessons are crystallized in The Dominant Animal. Tackling the fundamental challenge of the human predicament, Paul and Anne Ehrlich offer a vivid and unique exploration of our origins, our evolution, and our future. |
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Стр. 4
... already in the wind. Despite having been (in theory) put on the throne by God, Charles I of England was executed for “treason” on January 30, 1649, by human beings. This act of regicide defied a millennium of custom and sermons and ...
... already in the wind. Despite having been (in theory) put on the throne by God, Charles I of England was executed for “treason” on January 30, 1649, by human beings. This act of regicide defied a millennium of custom and sermons and ...
Стр. 24
... already much lower in populations of people of African origin now living in the malaria-free Caribbean island of Curaçao, for example, than in those living in nearby malarial Suriname. The sickling situation illuminates the difficulty ...
... already much lower in populations of people of African origin now living in the malaria-free Caribbean island of Curaçao, for example, than in those living in nearby malarial Suriname. The sickling situation illuminates the difficulty ...
Стр. 26
... already, in the case of fruit flies whose resistance to DDT may also influence choice of pupation site, for example, and in the single gene change that produces sickling in the human sickle-cell trait, which may lead to some protection ...
... already, in the case of fruit flies whose resistance to DDT may also influence choice of pupation site, for example, and in the single gene change that produces sickling in the human sickle-cell trait, which may lead to some protection ...
Стр. 42
... already differentiated species. Perhaps the best example is a species of longwing butterfly (genus Heliconius) that is produced by hybrids between individuals of two other species, where the hybrid individuals prefer to mate with each ...
... already differentiated species. Perhaps the best example is a species of longwing butterfly (genus Heliconius) that is produced by hybrids between individuals of two other species, where the hybrid individuals prefer to mate with each ...
Стр. 49
... already developed mechanisms to detoxify the defensive poisons of certain plants, systems that with some evolutionary modification also will lessen the impact of synthetic poisons such as DDT. Carnivores, on the other hand, have less ...
... already developed mechanisms to detoxify the defensive poisons of certain plants, systems that with some evolutionary modification also will lessen the impact of synthetic poisons such as DDT. Carnivores, on the other hand, have less ...
Содержание
1 | |
3 | |
9 | |
35 | |
54 | |
Of Genes and Culture | 68 |
Cultural Evolution How We Relate to One Another | 97 |
Perception Evolution and Beliefs | 119 |
A New Imperative | 234 |
Altering the Global Atmosphere | 255 |
Energy Are We Running Out of It? | 290 |
Saving Our Natural Capital | 310 |
Governance Tackling Unanticipated Consequences | 331 |
Epilogue | 363 |
Postscript | 369 |
Glossary | 377 |
The Ups and Downs of Populations | 140 |
History as Cultural Evolution | 158 |
Cycles of Life and Death | 172 |
Ecosystems and Human Domination of Earth | 193 |
Consumption and Its Costs | 207 |
Notes | 401 |
Selected Bibliography | 413 |
Acknowledgments | 437 |
Index | 441 |
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The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment Paul R. Ehrlich,Anne H. Ehrlich Ограниченный просмотр - 2008 |
The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment Paul R. Ehrlich,Anne H. Ehrlich Недоступно для просмотра - 2009 |
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