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. 8
... individuals. Use a genetically uninformed fishing strategy and you'll discover the fish in your nets growing smaller and fewer. But cultural evolution is critical as well; pay no attention to how cultural evolution works and you may be ...
... individuals. Use a genetically uninformed fishing strategy and you'll discover the fish in your nets growing smaller and fewer. But cultural evolution is critical as well; pay no attention to how cultural evolution works and you may be ...
Стр. 11
... individuals within a natural population and as a result their interactions with their environments are likely to differ. Such variation was also long recognized in the characteristics of domesticated plants and animals—wheat with grain ...
... individuals within a natural population and as a result their interactions with their environments are likely to differ. Such variation was also long recognized in the characteristics of domesticated plants and animals—wheat with grain ...
Стр. 12
... individuals with desired characteristics and encouraged their breeding, thereby over time creating strains that were easier to reap in the case of wheat or that gave more milk in the case of cows. Eventually, wheat was produced that had ...
... individuals with desired characteristics and encouraged their breeding, thereby over time creating strains that were easier to reap in the case of wheat or that gave more milk in the case of cows. Eventually, wheat was produced that had ...
Стр. 13
... individuals with varying genetic endowments that are members of the same population—the individuals of a species in a given area at the same time.3 While natural selection is not the only process that causes organisms to change ...
... individuals with varying genetic endowments that are members of the same population—the individuals of a species in a given area at the same time.3 While natural selection is not the only process that causes organisms to change ...
Стр. 15
... individuals with big bills. The drought had reduced the supply of smaller fruits and seeds, and only big-billed birds could crack the large, tough fruits that remained. Females also tended to mate with larger males, and as a result ...
... individuals with big bills. The drought had reduced the supply of smaller fruits and seeds, and only big-billed birds could crack the large, tough fruits that remained. Females also tended to mate with larger males, and as a result ...
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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