Frozen Evolution: Or, that's not the way it is, Mr. Darwin - Farewell to selfish gene - Couverture souple

Flegr, Jaroslav

 
9788086561738: Frozen Evolution: Or, that's not the way it is, Mr. Darwin - Farewell to selfish gene

Synopsis

The old Darwinian model of evolution was recently substituted with the selfish gene theory. The present book suggests that this mainstream theory is just as erroneous as Darwin's original model and we can soon expect another revolution. It suggests replacing the selfish gene model by a theory called "frozen evolution". The new theory assumes that the vast majority of species encountered in nature are not capable to evolve even when exposed to extremely strong selection and thus only passively wait until changes in their environment accumulate to such a degree that they have no choice but to quietly die out. Why is this true and where do the new species come from? How is it possible that species are usefully adapted to their environment and how can evolution occur at all in such an evolutionarily frozen world? This book offers an answer to these questions and, at the same time, also a frank and somewhat unusual insight into behind the scenes of contemporary science.

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À propos de l'auteur

Professor Jaroslav Flegr studied cell biology and animal physiology at the Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague. In this position he currently teaches evolutionary biology, evolutionary and ecological parasitology, and practical scientific methodology. Besides studying evolution, he researches the effects of the Toxoplasma parasite and blood groups on human health and behavior. He is the author of more than 130 publications, including the widely used textbook Mechanisms of Evolution, as well as the popular science books Frozen Evolution: Or, that's not the way it is, Mr. Darwin (winner of the Magnesia Litera Prize for Educational Literature) and Watch out for Toxo!: The Secret Guide to Practical Science. In the year 2014 he received the international Ig Nobel prize in the category of public health, an award given for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think.”

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