Summary
Stephen Jay Gould argues that Darwinian theory, over a century after its publication, remains in a "vibrantly healthy state." This collection of thirty essays, primarily from *Natural History Magazine*, explores "the peculiar and mysterious particulars of nature" through the lens of evolutionary biology. The book is organized into seven thematic parts: "Des bizarreries raisonnables" (Reasonable Oddities), "Personnalités" (Personalities), "Adaptation et évolution" (Adaptation and Evolution), "Teilhard et Piltdown" (Teilhard and Piltdown), "Science et politique" (Science and Politics), "L'extinction" (Extinction), and "Une trilogie du zèbre" (A Zebra Trilogy). Readers will encounter numerous and wonderful manifestations of evolutionary biology as presented by a leading exponent of Darwinian theory.
Key concepts
- Darwinian theory — The fundamental scientific explanation for the diversity of life and its development over time, asserted here to be in a "vibrantly healthy state."
- Evolutionary biology — The scientific study of the processes and outcomes of evolution, encompassing the "peculiar and mysterious particulars of nature."
- Reasonable Oddities — A thematic section of the essays focusing on surprising or peculiar aspects of the natural world explained through evolutionary principles.
- Adaptation and Evolution — A section exploring how organisms develop traits that help them survive and reproduce, and the broader processes of evolutionary change.
- Extinction — A section examining the phenomenon of species disappearing from Earth, a key aspect of evolutionary history.
From the book
Description: Une compilation de trente essais parus pour la plupart dans ##Natural history magazine## et articulés autour de la théorie de l'évolution. Sept parties : Des bizarreries raisonnables - Personnalités - Adaptation et évolution - Teilhard et Piltdown - Science et politique - L'extinction - Une trilogie du zèbre. L'auteur, professeur à l'Université de Harvard, a précédemment publié deux autres recueils : ##Darwin et les grandes énigmes de la vie## (1979) et ##Le pouce du panda## (1982). [SDM].
Description: "Lively and fascinating. . . . [Gould] writes beautifully about science and the wonders of nature."—Tracy Kidder Over a century after Darwin published the Origin of Species, Darwinian theory is in a "vibrantly healthy state," writes Stephen Jay Gould, its most engaging and illuminating exponent. Exploring the "peculiar and mysterious particulars of nature," Gould introduces the reader to some of the many and wonderful manifestations of evolutionary biology.
Snippet: "Lively and fascinating. . . . [Gould] writes beautifully about science and the wonders of nature."—Tracy Kidder Over a century after Darwin published the Origin of Species, Darwinian theory is in a "vibrantly healthy state," writes ...