Restless creatures

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Wallace Arthur

"The body of evolutionary theory that currently occupies a dominant position in biological thought is new-Darwinism. While this theory has considerable explanatory power, it is widely recognized as being incomplete in that lacks a component dealing with individual development, or ontogeny. This lack is particularly conspicuous in relation to attempts to explain the evolutionary origin of the 35 or so animal body plans, and of the developmental trajectories that generate them." "This book examines both the origin of body plans in particular and the evolution of animal development in general. In doing so, it ranges widely, covering topics as diverse as comparative developmental genetics, selection theory and Vendian/Cambrian fossils. Particular emphasis is placed on gene duplication, changes in spatiotemporal gene-expression patterns, internal selection, coevolution of interacting genes, and coadaptation." "The book will be of particular interest to researchers and students in evolutionary biology, genetics, palaeontology and development biology."--Jacket.

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Robert Plonsey, Roger C. Barr

In the first edition of Bioelectricity, Plonsey and Barr provided an introduction to electrophysiology following a quantitative approach. In this second edition they address new discoveries in the field of ion channels. The text is an introduction to electrophysiology utilizing a quantitative approach. It describes the principles of electrical fields, using basic principles from science and engineering while taking the biological applications into consideration. The book thus provides an introduction to the quantitative description of underlying electrophysiology with illustrative application to cardiac electrophysiology and functional electrical stimulation. The book can be used as a bridge to more advanced texts, particularly those that stress a quantitative approach.

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Colin Patterson

"Introducing the latest ideas on how life originated and diversified on earth, this new edition of a classic work provides a concise and engaging summary of modern evolutionary theory. The heavily illustrated book is intended for readers with little or no formal training in science and is an ideal introduction for students. Teachers of biology will also find the book a valuable reference text."--BOOK JACKET.

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Darwin

In this rich selection from Darwin's most important and relevant works, Glick and Kohn provide the reader with a map of sorts by which to navigate the ins and outs of the development of the theory of natural selection. A concise general introduction lays out Darwin's theory, which is followed up in the chapter introductions. Each chapter ends with an excerpt from Darwin's correspondence, commenting on the work in question, its significance, impact, and reception. In addition, two essential appendices are included - the first three chapters from Malthus, On Population, which gave Darwin the idea for natural selection, and the paper by Wallace that motivated Darwin to abandon the "Big Species Book" and write Origin of Species.