Wallace fu uno dei massimi naturalisti vittoriani. I suoi interessi scientifici spaziavano dall'entomologia all'antropologia, dalla geologia alla glaciologia, dal mimetismo alla biogeografia evolutiva. Tuttavia egli viene generalmente ricordato solo per esser stato l'altro uomo che scoprì la selezione naturale: come colui che gettò nel panico Darwin un anno prima della pubblicazione dell'"Origine delle specie". Pochi conoscono la sua vita avventurosa, in parte trascorsa ai tropici, gli studi biogeografici, il grande lavoro di perfezionamento e divulgazione del darwinismo, l'impegno sociale in difesa dei deboli, e la sua fede nello spiritualismo, che lo portava a credere ottimisticamente in un continuo progresso morale e sociale dell'umanità.
Setting / LocationGlobal
Story EraModern Era
Protagonist / CoreL' uomo che gettò nel panico Darwin Lead Character
"Darwin's theory of evolution, which implied that our ancestors were apes, caused a furore in the scientific world and beyond when The Origin of Species was published in 1859. Arguments still rage about the implications of his evolutionary theory, and scepticism about the value of Darwin's contribution to knowledge is widespread. In this analysis of Darwin's major insights and arguments, Jonathan Howard reasserts the importance of Darwin's work for the development of modern science and culture."--BOOK JACKET.
A household icon of the environmental movement, Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) may be the most quoted conservationist in history. A Sand County Almanac has sold millions of copies and Leopoldʼs writings are venerated for their perceptions about land and how people might live in concert with the whole community of life. But who is the man behind the words? How did he arrive at his profound and poetic insights, inspiring generations of environmentalists? Building on past scholarship and a fresh study of Leopoldʼs unpublished archival materials, Julianne Lutz Newton retraces the intellectual journey generated by such passion and intelligence. Aldo Leopoldʼs Odyssey illuminates his lifelong quest for answers to a fundamental issue: how can people live prosperously on the land and keep it healthy, too? Leopoldʼs journey took him from Iowa to Yale to the Southwest to Wisconsin, with fascinating stops along the way to probe the causes of early land settlement failures, contribute to the emerging science of ecology, and craft a new vision for land use. More than a biography, this articulate volume is a guide to one manʼs intellectual growth, and an inspirational resource for anyone pondering the relationships between people and the land. Includes information on agriculture, biotic community, biotic pyramid, community-based idea of good land use, biological cycle, deforestation, diversity of plant and animal species, Dust Bowl, ecology, Charles Elton, dynamic community organization and energy flows, erosion, evolution, forests, grazing, Great Depression, William T. Hornaday, hunting, land capacity for self-renewal, land ethic, land health, land pyramid, land use planning, New Deal, nutrient (energy) cycling, predators, private ownership issues, soil, water shortages, wildlife conservation, etc.
Looks at previous theories about the nature of life, summarizes arguments supporting the theory of evolution, and discusses more recent discoveries in genetics.
In 1999, Paul Auster and National Public Radio's Weekend All Things Considered programme asked listeners to send in true stories, to be read on-air as part of the National Story Project. The response was overwhelming : everyone, it seemed, had a story to tell. *True Tales of American Life* gathers 180 of these stories in one extraordinary volume.
L' uomo che gettò nel panico Darwin by Federico Focher | Literally Just Books
