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The History of Life (Philosophy)
A Very Short Introduction | Philosophy
The History of Life
ISBN: 9780192806758
Series: A Very Short Introduction
The History of Life (Philosophy)
A Very Short Introduction The History of Life (Philosophy) Media > Books > Non-Fiction > Education Books Expect Delays of Up to 4 Weeks
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ISBN
9780192806758 (10-digit ISBN: 0192806750)
- Description
- Key Features
- Series Description
- Table of Contents
- Each chapter describes a major step in the history of life - the breakthroughs that made new forms of life possible
- Explores the origins of sex, the first multicellular creatures, explains how hard skeletons evolved, why animals moved to land, and how the first forests were born
- Presents a completely up-to-date picture of the earliest origins of life, exploring new concepts such as the 'RNA world' and the Last Universal Common Ancestor
- Takes an interdisciplinary view - introducing new ideas from many areas including evolutionary biology, earth history, geochemistry, palaeontology, systematics, and astrobiology
- Covers life on land, and in the sea and air, and looks at animals and plants from algae and insects to dinosaurs and mammals
- Includes the latest perspectives on human evolution
There are few stories more remarkable than the evolution of life on earth. This Very Short Introduction presents a succinct guide to the key episodes in that story - from the very origins of life four million years ago to the extraordinary diversity of species around the globe today.
Beginning with an explanation of the controversies surrounding the birth of life itself, each following chapter tells of a major breakthrough that made new forms of life possible: including sex and multicellularity, hard skeletons, and the move to land. Along the way, we witness the greatest mass extinction, the first forests, the rise of modern ecosystems, and, most recently, conscious humans.
Introducing ideas from a range of scientific disciplines, from evolutionary biology and earth history, to geochemistry, palaeontology, and systematics, Michael Benton explains how modern science pieces the evidence in this vast evolutionary puzzle together, to build up an accessible and up-to-date picture of the key developments in the history of life on earth.
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible.
Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library.
Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.
Please note: As this series is not ELT material, these titles are not subject to discount.
1: Introduction
2: The origin of life
3: The origin of sex
4: The origin of skeletons
5: The origin of life on land
6: Forests and flight
7: The biggest mass extinction
8: The origin of modern ecosystems
9: The origin of humans
References and Further Reading
There are few stories more remarkable than the evolution of life on earth. This Very Short Introduction presents a succinct guide to the key episodes in that story - from the very origins of life four million years ago to the extraordinary diversity of species around the globe today.
Beginning with an explanation of the controversies surrounding the birth of life itself, each following chapter tells of a major breakthrough that made new forms of life possible: including sex and multicellularity, hard skeletons, and the move to land. Along the way, we witness the greatest mass extinction, the first forests, the rise of modern ecosystems, and, most recently, conscious humans.
Introducing ideas from a range of scientific disciplines, from evolutionary biology and earth history, to geochemistry, palaeontology, and systematics, Michael Benton explains how modern science pieces the evidence in this vast evolutionary puzzle together, to build up an accessible and up-to-date picture of the key developments in the history of life on earth.
Key Features
- Each chapter describes a major step in the history of life - the breakthroughs that made new forms of life possible
- Explores the origins of sex, the first multicellular creatures, explains how hard skeletons evolved, why animals moved to land, and how the first forests were born
- Presents a completely up-to-date picture of the earliest origins of life, exploring new concepts such as the 'RNA world' and the Last Universal Common Ancestor
- Takes an interdisciplinary view - introducing new ideas from many areas including evolutionary biology, earth history, geochemistry, palaeontology, systematics, and astrobiology
- Covers life on land, and in the sea and air, and looks at animals and plants from algae and insects to dinosaurs and mammals
- Includes the latest perspectives on human evolution
Series Description
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible.
Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library.
Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.
Please note: As this series is not ELT material, these titles are not subject to discount.
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