Biased Embryos and Evolution

What Determines The Direction Of Evolutionary Change? This Book Provides A Revolutionary Answer To This Question. Many Biologists, From Darwin's Day To Our Own, Have Been Satisfied With The Answer, 'natural Selection'. Professor Wallace Arthur Is Not. He Takes The Controversial View That Biases In The Ways That Embryos Can Be Altered Are Just As Important As Natural Selection In Determining The Directions That Evolution Has Taken, Including The One That Led To The Origin Of Humans. This Argument Forms The Core Of The Book. However, In Addition, The Book Summarizes Other Important Issues Relating To How Embryonic, And Post-embryonic, Development Evolves. Written In An Easy, Conversational Style, This Is The First Book For Students And The General Reader That Provides An Account Of The Exciting New Field Of Evolutionary Developmental Biology ('evo-devo' To Its Proponents).--jacket. The Microscopic Horse -- What Steers Evolution? -- Darwin: Pluralism With A Single Core -- How To Build A Body -- A Brief History Of The Last Billion Years -- Preamble To The Quiet Revolution -- The Return Of The Organism -- Possible Creatures -- The Beginnings Of Bias -- A Deceptively Simple Question -- Development's Twin Arrows -- Action And Reaction -- Evolvability: Organisms In Bits -- Back To The Trees -- Stripes And Spots -- Towards 'the Inclusive Synthesis' -- Social Creatures. By Wallace Arthur. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [223]-230) And Index. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Preface......Page 11 Acknowledgements......Page 14 1 The microscopic horse......Page 17 2 What steers evolution?......Page 25 3 Darwin: pluralism with a single core......Page 42 4 How to build a body......Page 56 5 A brief history of the last billion years......Page 70 6 Preamble to the quiet revolution......Page 83 7 The return of the organism......Page 92 8 Possible creatures......Page 104 9 The beginnings of bias......Page 121 10 A deceptively simple question......Page 133 11 Development’s twin arrows......Page 144 12 Action and reaction......Page 156 13 Evolvability: organisms in bits......Page 168 14 Back to the trees......Page 175 15 Stripes and spots......Page 191 16 Towards ‘the inclusive synthesis’......Page 207 17 Social creatures......Page 217 Glossary......Page 227 References to Chapter 2......Page 239 References to Chapter 4......Page 241 References to Chapter 7......Page 242 References to Chapter 10......Page 243 References to Chapter 12......Page 244 References to Chapter 15......Page 245 References to Chapter 17......Page 246 Index......Page 247 Lets see, The author wants to say that the constraints on how an embryo can be grown will affect what possible phenotypes are actualised. Well that seems plausible enough, I would be interesting in finding out more about HOW to actually grow an embryo? why cant you grow a wheel and axle? But the author doesn't know, too bad. All he can do is talk about how English he is and how great is its to be English and that development must have _somthing_ to do with evolution, Oh and by they way the author is English. Aimed primarily at a general readership and college students of biology, this book focuses on the question of how embryonic development changes in the course of evolution, thus giving rise to new types of creatures. It takes the view that biases in the ways that embryos can be altered are as important as natural selection in determining the directions that evolution has taken, including the one that led to the origin of humans. This is the first book on the new field of Evolutionary Developmental Biology that is aimed primarily at an undergraduate and general readership. It focuses on the question of how embryonic development changes in the course of evolution, thus giving rise to new types of creatures

the First Book On Evolutionary Developmental Biology That Is For Undergraduate And General Readership.