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. 1
... Web site, will be especially valuable both for course use and for general readers who wish to remain up to date in the critical areas covered. Prologue Human beings live in a world of change and Note on the Paperback Edition.
... Web site, will be especially valuable both for course use and for general readers who wish to remain up to date in the critical areas covered. Prologue Human beings live in a world of change and Note on the Paperback Edition.
Стр. 6
... areas of forest to raise crops and build cities, lacing the world with railroads and then highways, filling the skies with jet aircraft, and creating a vast array of plastics and other chemical products never seen in nature. If at first ...
... areas of forest to raise crops and build cities, lacing the world with railroads and then highways, filling the skies with jet aircraft, and creating a vast array of plastics and other chemical products never seen in nature. If at first ...
Стр. 18
... area's industrialization—hence the term “industrial melanism.” Apparently, as the tree trunks became sooty, the lichens ... areas they are easily seen against the pale, speckled background of lichens growing on tree trunks. The genes ...
... area's industrialization—hence the term “industrial melanism.” Apparently, as the tree trunks became sooty, the lichens ... areas they are easily seen against the pale, speckled background of lichens growing on tree trunks. The genes ...
Стр. 24
... areas where malarial parasites do not occur. In the relatively few generations since the slave trade was finally halted, the frequency of the sickling allele is already much lower in populations of people of African origin now living in ...
... areas where malarial parasites do not occur. In the relatively few generations since the slave trade was finally halted, the frequency of the sickling allele is already much lower in populations of people of African origin now living in ...
Стр. 25
... areas of the world now be being reversed in response to food abundance. The previous advantage in resistance to famine now is a disadvantage because it increases the likelihood of obesity and diabetes—both of which are now epidemic in ...
... areas of the world now be being reversed in response to food abundance. The previous advantage in resistance to famine now is a disadvantage because it increases the likelihood of obesity and diabetes—both of which are now epidemic in ...
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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