Bedford Public Library

The evolutionary world, how adaptation explains everything from seashells to civilization, Geerat J. Vermeij

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

index present

non fiction

The evolutionary world

bibliography

Geerat J. Vermeij

how adaptation explains everything from seashells to civilization

Evolution has outgrown its original home in biology and geology. The Evolutionary World shows how evolution---descent with modification---is a concept that organizes, explains, and predicts a multitude of unconnected facts and phenomena. Adaptation plays a role not only in the development of new species but the development of human civilization. By understanding how evolutionary theory has played out in areas such as our economic system, our preparation for catastrophes, and even the development of communities, we can learn not just how these systems work but also what challenges lie ahead

The evolutionary way of knowing -- Deciphering nature's codebook -- On imperfection -- Taming unpredictability -- The evolution of order -- The complexity of life and the origin of meaning -- The secrets of grass: Interdependence and its discontents -- Nature's housing market, or why nothing happens in isolation -- Dispatches from a warmer world -- The search for sources and sinks -- Invaders, incumbents, and a changing of the guard -- The arrow of time and the struggle for life -- History and the human future -- Suggested further reading