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. 25
... occurred in a population of our ancestors that produced a tendency to prefer mates with big noses. Even though bigger noses would allow slightly better detection of both food and enemies by smell, selection might never increase the ...
... occurred in a population of our ancestors that produced a tendency to prefer mates with big noses. Even though bigger noses would allow slightly better detection of both food and enemies by smell, selection might never increase the ...
Стр. 29
... occur in response to environmental cues, and scientists are discovering that the regulatory process is much more complex ... occurred in a complex of processes basically similar to what took place in our selection experiments with fruit ...
... occur in response to environmental cues, and scientists are discovering that the regulatory process is much more complex ... occurred in a complex of processes basically similar to what took place in our selection experiments with fruit ...
Стр. 31
... occur without regard to the environmental situation or “needs” of the organism. Migration, mutation, and a reshuffling (recombination) of genes that occur in the process of reproduction are evolutionary forces that produce the genetic ...
... occur without regard to the environmental situation or “needs” of the organism. Migration, mutation, and a reshuffling (recombination) of genes that occur in the process of reproduction are evolutionary forces that produce the genetic ...
Стр. 32
... occur with hormones (chemical messengers such as testosterone) and the hormone receptors of cells. After all, if there were a change in a lock, for the system to remain functional would require a matching change in the key. But it turns ...
... occur with hormones (chemical messengers such as testosterone) and the hormone receptors of cells. After all, if there were a change in a lock, for the system to remain functional would require a matching change in the key. But it turns ...
Стр. 35
... occurred as populations split and diverged to become separate species.” Scott Freeman and Jon C. Herron, 20011 “We have moved from a view of coevolution as a stately, long-term process that molds species overeons to one in which ...
... occurred as populations split and diverged to become separate species.” Scott Freeman and Jon C. Herron, 20011 “We have moved from a view of coevolution as a stately, long-term process that molds species overeons to one in which ...
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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