Reconstructing Evolution

Download Reconstructing Evolution full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Reconstructing Evolution ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

Reconstructing the Past

Author : Elliott Sober
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 9780262691444
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (914 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Reconstructing the Past by : Elliott Sober

Download or read book Reconstructing the Past written by Elliott Sober and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 1991-02-05 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reconstructing the Past seeks to clarify and help resolve the vexing methodological issues that arise when biologists try to answer such questions as whether human beings are more closely related to chimps than they are to gorillas. It explores the case for considering the philosophical idea of simplicity/parsimony as a useful principle for evaluating taxonomic theories of evolutionary relationships. For the past two decades, evolutionists have been vigorously debating the appropriate methods that should be used in systematics, the field that aims at reconstructing phylogenetic relationships among species. This debate over phylogenetic inference, Elliott Sober observes, raises broader questions of hypothesis testing and theory evaluation that run head on into long standing issues concerning simplicity/parsimony in the philosophy of science. Sober treats the problem of phylogenetic inference as a detailed case study in which the philosophical idea of simplicity/parsimony can be tested as a principle of theory evaluation. Bringing together philosophy and biology, as well as statistics, Sober builds a general framework for understanding the circumstances in which parsimony makes sense as a tool of phylogenetic inference. Along the way he provides a detailed critique of parsimony in the biological literature, exploring the strengths and limitations of both statistical and nonstatistical cladistic arguments.

Reconstructing Evolution

Author : Olivier Gascuel
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191525987
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (915 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Reconstructing Evolution by : Olivier Gascuel

Download or read book Reconstructing Evolution written by Olivier Gascuel and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2007-06-28 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evolution is a complex process, acting at multiple scales, from DNA sequences and proteins to populations of species. Understanding and reconstructing evolution is of major importance in numerous subfields of biology. For example, phylogenetics and sequence evolution is central to comparative genomics, attempts to decipher genomes, and molecular epidemiology. Phylogenetics is also the focal point of large-scale international biodiversity assessment initiatives such as the 'Tree of Life' project, which aims to build the evolutionary tree for all extant species. Since the pioneering work in phylogenetics in the 1960s, models have become increasingly sophisticated to account for the inherent complexity of evolution. They rely heavily on mathematics and aim at modelling and analyzing biological phenomena such as horizontal gene transfer, heterogeneity of mutation, and speciation and extinction processes. This book presents these recent models, their biological relevance, their mathematical basis, their properties, and the algorithms to infer them from data. A number of subfields from mathematics and computer science are involved: combinatorics, graph theory, stringology, probabilistic and Markov models, information theory, statistical inference, Monte Carlo methods, continuous and discrete algorithmics. This book arises from the Mathematics of Evolution & Phylogenetics meeting at the Mathematical Institute Henri Poincaré, Paris, in June 2005 and is based on the outstanding state-of-the-art reports presented by the conference speakers. Ten chapters - based around five themes - provide a detailed overview of key topics, from the underlying concepts to the latest results, some of which are at the forefront of current research.

Reconstructing Evolution

Author : Olivier Gascuel
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199208220
Total Pages : 349 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (992 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Reconstructing Evolution by : Olivier Gascuel

Download or read book Reconstructing Evolution written by Olivier Gascuel and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007-06-28 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book arises from the Mathematics of Evolution & Phylogenetics meeting at the Mathematical Institute Henri Poincare, Paris, in June 2005 and is based on ... reports presented by keynote speakers"--Back cover.

In the Light of Evolution

Author : National Academy of Sciences
Publisher : Sackler Colloquium
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 388 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis In the Light of Evolution by : National Academy of Sciences

Download or read book In the Light of Evolution written by National Academy of Sciences and published by Sackler Colloquium. This book was released on 2007 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia of the National Academy of Sciences address scientific topics of broad and current interest, cutting across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Each year, four or five such colloquia are scheduled, typically two days in length and international in scope. Colloquia are organized by a member of the Academy, often with the assistance of an organizing committee, and feature presentations by leading scientists in the field and discussions with a hundred or more researchers with an interest in the topic. Colloquia presentations are recorded and posted on the National Academy of Sciences Sackler colloquia website and published on CD-ROM. These Colloquia are made possible by a generous gift from Mrs. Jill Sackler, in memory of her husband, Arthur M. Sackler.

Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49)

Author : A. Townsend Peterson
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691136882
Total Pages : 330 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49) by : A. Townsend Peterson

Download or read book Ecological Niches and Geographic Distributions (MPB-49) written by A. Townsend Peterson and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-11-20 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Terminology, conceptual overview, biogeography, modeling.

Reconstructing Earth

Author : Braden Allenby
Publisher : Island Press
ISBN 13 : 1597266205
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (972 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Reconstructing Earth by : Braden Allenby

Download or read book Reconstructing Earth written by Braden Allenby and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Earth's biological, chemical, and physical systems are increasingly shaped by the activities of one species-ours. In our decisions about everything from manufacturing technologies to restaurant menus, the health of the planet has become a product of human choice. Environmentalism, however, has largely failed to adapt to this new reality. Reconstructing Earth offers seven essays that explore ways of developing a new, more sophisticated approach to the environment that replaces the fantasy of recovering pristine landscapes with a more grounded viewpoint that can foster a better relationship between humans and the planet. Braden Allenby, a lawyer with degrees in both engineering and environmental studies, explains the importance of technological choice, and how that factor is far more significant in shaping our environment (in ways both desirable and not) than environmental controls. Drawing on his varied background and experience in both academia and the corporate world, he describes the emerging field of "earth systems engineering and management," which offers an integrated approach to understanding and managing complex human/natural systems that can serve as a basis for crafting better, more lasting solutions to widespread environmental problems. Reconstructing Earth not only critiques dysfunctional elements of current environmentalism but establishes a foundation for future environmental management and progress, one built on an understanding of technological evolution and the cultural systems that support modern technologies. Taken together, the essays offer an important means of developing an environmentalism that is robust and realistic enough to address the urgent realities of our planet. Reconstructing Earth is a thought-provoking new work for anyone concerned with the past or future of environmental thought, including students and teachers of environmental studies, environmental policy, technology policy, technological evolution, or sustainability.

Reconstructing Reason and Representation

Author : Murray Clarke
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262545756
Total Pages : 193 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (625 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Reconstructing Reason and Representation by : Murray Clarke

Download or read book Reconstructing Reason and Representation written by Murray Clarke and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2022-06-07 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A study of the philosophical implications of evolutionary psychology, suggesting that knowledge is a set of natural kinds housed in the modules of a massively modular mind. In Reconstructing Reason and Representation, Murray Clarke offers a detailed study of the philosophical implications of evolutionary psychology. In doing so, he offers new solutions to key problems in epistemology and philosophy of mind, including misrepresentation and rationality. He proposes a naturalistic approach to reason and representation that is informed by evolutionary psychology, and, expanding on the massive modularity thesis advanced in work by Leda Cosmides and John Tooby, argues for a modular, adapticist account of misrepresentation and knowledge. Just as the reliability of representation can be defended on the basis of an account of the proper function of cognitive modularity, misrepresentation can be explained through an appeal to the "gap theory," by noting the divergence between the proper and actual domains of cognitive modules in a massively modular mind. Clarke argues for an externalist, modular reliabilism by suggesting that evolution has equipped us with generally reliable inferential systems even if they do not always produce true beliefs. He argues that reliable deductive and inductive inference occurs only when cognitive modules deal with actual domains that are sufficiently similar to their proper domains. This psychologically informed, naturalized adapticism leads to the suggestion that knowledge is a set of natural kinds housed in the modules of a massively modular mind. Typically, the proper function of these cognitive modules is to provide us with truths that enable us to satisfy our basic biological needs. Beyond reasoning modules, other cognitive modules discussed include the ability to orient ourselves in space, and our abilities with language, numbers, object reasoning, and social understanding. Clarke also defends Cosmides and Tooby's massive modularity hypothesis against such critics as Jerry Fodor by demonstrating that these critics consistently misrepresent Cosmides and Tooby's position.

Development and Evolution

Author : Stanley N. Salthe
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 9780262193351
Total Pages : 388 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (933 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Development and Evolution by : Stanley N. Salthe

Download or read book Development and Evolution written by Stanley N. Salthe and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 1993 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Development and Evolution surveys and illuminates the key themes of rapidly changing fields and areas of controversy that the redefining the theory and philosophy of biology. It continues Stanley Salthe's investigation of evolutionary theory, begun in his influential book Evolving Hierarchical Systems, while negating the implicit philosophical mechanisms of much of that work. Here Salthe attempts to reinitiate a theory of biology from the perspective of development rather than from that of evolution, recognizing the applicability of general systems thinking to biological and social phenomena and pointing towards a non-Darwinian and even a postmodern biology.

Molecular Evolution

Author : Roderick D.M. Page
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1444313363
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (443 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Molecular Evolution by : Roderick D.M. Page

Download or read book Molecular Evolution written by Roderick D.M. Page and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-07-14 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of evolution at the molecular level has given the subject of evolutionary biology a new significance. Phylogenetic 'trees' of gene sequences are a powerful tool for recovering evolutionary relationships among species, and can be used to answer a broad range of evolutionary and ecological questions. They are also beginning to permeate the medical sciences. In this book, the authors approach the study of molecular evolution with the phylogenetic tree as a central metaphor. This will equip students and professionals with the ability to see both the evolutionary relevance of molecular data, and the significance evolutionary theory has for molecular studies. The book is accessible yet sufficiently detailed and explicit so that the student can learn the mechanics of the procedures discussed. The book is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in molecular evolution/phylogenetic reconstruction. It will also be a useful supplement for students taking wider courses in evolution, as well as a valuable resource for professionals. First student textbook of phylogenetic reconstruction which uses the tree as a central metaphor of evolution. Chapter summaries and annotated suggestions for further reading. Worked examples facilitate understanding of some of the more complex issues. Emphasis on clarity and accessibility.

Reconstructing the Tree of Life

Author : Trevor R. Hodkinson
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 1420009532
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Reconstructing the Tree of Life by : Trevor R. Hodkinson

Download or read book Reconstructing the Tree of Life written by Trevor R. Hodkinson and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2006-12-26 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To document the world’s diversity of species and reconstruct the tree of life we need to undertake some simple but mountainous tasks. Most importantly, we need to tackle species rich groups. We need to collect, name, and classify them, and then position them on the tree of life. We need to do this systematically across all groups of organisms and because of the biodiversity crisis we need to do it quickly. With contributions from key systematic and taxonomic researchers, Reconstructing the Tree of Life: Taxonomy and Systematics of Species Rich Taxa outlines the core of the problem and explores strategies that bring us closer to its solution. The editors split the book into three parts: introduction and general concepts, reconstructing and using the tree of life, and taxonomy and systematics of species rich groups (case studies). They introduce, with examples, the concept of species rich groups and discuss their importance in reconstructing the tree of life as well as their conservation and sustainable utilization in general. The book highlights how phylogenetic trees are becoming “supersized” to handle species rich groups and the methods that are being developed to deal with the computational complexity of such trees. It discusses factors that have lead some groups to speciate to a staggering degree and also provides case studies that highlight the problems and prospects of dealing with species rich groups in taxonomy. To understand species rich taxa, evolution has set scientists a difficult, but not unattainable, challenge that requires the meshing together of phylogenetics and taxonomy, considerable advances in informatics, improved and increased collecting, training of taxonomists, and significant financial support. This book provides the tools and methods needed to meet that challenge.

Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction

Author : David A Liberles
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191538418
Total Pages : 266 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (915 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction by : David A Liberles

Download or read book Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction written by David A Liberles and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2007-05-31 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancestral sequence reconstruction is a technique of growing importance in molecular evolutionary biology and comparative genomics. As a powerful tool for testing evolutionary and ecological hypotheses, as well as uncovering the link between sequence and molecular phenotype, there are potential applications in a range of fields. Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction starts with a historical overview of the field, before discussing the potential applications in drug discovery and the pharmaceutical industry. This is followed by a section on computational methodology, which provides a detailed discussion of the available methods for reconstructing ancestral sequences (including their advantages, disadvantages, and potential pitfalls). Purely computational applications of the technique are then covered, including whole proteome reconstruction. Further chapters provide a detailed discussion on taking computationally reconstructed sequences and synthesizing them in the laboratory. The book concludes with a description of the scientific questions where experimental ancestral sequence reconstruction has been utilized to provide insights and inform future research. This research level text provides a first synthesis of the theories, methodologies and applications associated with ancestral sequence recognition, while simultaneously addressing many of the hot topics in the field. It will be of interest and use to both graduate students and researchers in the fields of molecular biology, molecular evolution, and evolutionary bioinformatics.

Reconstructing Human Origins

Author : Glenn C. Conroy
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393912892
Total Pages : 8 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (939 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Reconstructing Human Origins by : Glenn C. Conroy

Download or read book Reconstructing Human Origins written by Glenn C. Conroy and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2012-02-13 with total page 8 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reconstructing Human Origins is the most authoritative, comprehensive, and popular paleoanthropology textbook available. Respected anthropologists Glenn Conroy and new coauthor Herman Pontzer use clear writing and abundant, carefully chosen illustrations to illuminate key concepts and help students get the most out of the course. This definitive paleoanthropology text has been fully revised to keep pace with all of the exciting recent developments in the field.

Understanding Evolution

Author : Kostas Kampourakis
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107034914
Total Pages : 275 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (7 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Understanding Evolution by : Kostas Kampourakis

Download or read book Understanding Evolution written by Kostas Kampourakis and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-04-03 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together conceptual obstacles and core concepts of evolutionary theory, this book presents evolution as straightforward and intuitive.

Reconstructing Biology

Author : John Vandermeer
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 500 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (319 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Reconstructing Biology by : John Vandermeer

Download or read book Reconstructing Biology written by John Vandermeer and published by . This book was released on 1996-05-02 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rave reviews for Reconstructing Biology "It is just the sort of book I would have expected from John Vandermeer who, for his entire professional life, has been a leading voice in trying to make people understand the true nature of the forces that are both inside and outside of human beings, and the correct relationship between human beings and the rest of nature."—R. C. Lewontin Harvard University "For over a decade now we have been inundated by massive tomes on the nature of race by psychologists and sociologists poorly trained in genetics and biology. Now, at last, a preeminent biologist explains the true nature of race differences.... The combination of scientific clarity, political insight, and historical acumen makes this one of the most important books yet published on the subject of race and racism."—Barry Mehler Ferris State University "Given the frequency with which we meet simplistic claims today that social behaviors such as criminality, alcoholism, shyness, homosexuality, or infidelity are genetically determined...Reconstructing Biology should be required reading for all students in the social as well as natural sciences."—Garland E. Allen Washington University in St. Louis A biologist takes a probing look at some of the most important questions facing postmodern civilization In Reconstructing Biology, noted biologist and educator John Vandermeer explores the ways in which the science of biology has been and continues to be misinterpreted and misappropriated on behalf of some of the most pernicious doctrines and policies of the past 200 years. From the politics of genetics to the biology of IQ, Reconstructing Biology is must reading for anyone concerned about the role of science in the most important social and political issues of our time.

Evolutionism and Its Critics

Author : Stephen K. Sanderson
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317259971
Total Pages : 335 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (172 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Evolutionism and Its Critics by : Stephen K. Sanderson

Download or read book Evolutionism and Its Critics written by Stephen K. Sanderson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-12-03 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evolutionism and Its Critics is a critical history of evolutionary theories in the social sciences and a defense of them against their many critics. Sanderson deconstructs not only the wide array of social evolutionary theories, but the criticisms of the antievolutionists. Deconstructing evolutionary theories means laying bare their fundamental epistemological, methodological, conceptual, and theoretical assumptions and principles. Deconstructing antievolutionism means showing just where and how the critics have, for the most part, gone wrong. But Evolutionism and Its Critics aims to reconstruct as well as deconstruct and does this by building on the shoulders of past giants of evolutionary theorizing a comprehensive evolutionary interpretation of human society based on abundant scientific and historical evidence.

Life's Splendid Drama

Author : Peter J. Bowler
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 9780226069210
Total Pages : 556 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (692 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Life's Splendid Drama by : Peter J. Bowler

Download or read book Life's Splendid Drama written by Peter J. Bowler and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1996-11-15 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As Bowler tracks major scientific debates over the emergence of the vertebrates, the origins of the main types of living animals, and the rise and extinction of groups such as the dinosaurs, his richly detailed accounts bring to light complex interactions among specialists in various fields of biology.

Reconstructing Scientific Revolutions

Author : Paul Hoyningen-Huene
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226355519
Total Pages : 330 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (263 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Reconstructing Scientific Revolutions by : Paul Hoyningen-Huene

Download or read book Reconstructing Scientific Revolutions written by Paul Hoyningen-Huene and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1993-05-15 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scholars from disciplines as diverse as political science and art history have offered widely differing interpretations of Kuhn's ideas, appropriating his notions of paradigm shifts and revolutions to fit their own theories, however imperfectly. Destined to become the authoritative philosophical study of Kuhn's work. Bibliography.