The Evolving World: Evolution in Everyday Life.THE EVOLVING WORLD: Evolution in Everyday Life DAVID David, in the Bible David, d. c.970 B.C., king of ancient Israel (c.1010–970 B.C.), successor of Saul. The Book of First Samuel introduces him as the youngest of eight sons who is anointed king by Samuel to replace Saul, who had been deemed a failure. P. MINDELL The ideas behind evolutionary biology Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of biology concerned with the origin and descent of species, as well as their change, multiplication, and diversity over time. have, since the publication of Darwin's writings, become ingrained in everyday culture. Despite recent arguments against evolution by advocates of creationism creationism or creation science, belief in the biblical account of the creation of the world as described in Genesis, a characteristic especially of fundamentalist Protestantism (see fundamentalism). and intelligent design, the scientific evidence for evolution is readily apparent in many arenas, writes Mindell, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Some U.S. universities are home to degree programs entitled Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, offering integrated studies in the disciplines of ecology and evolutionary biology. . He describes the evolutionary changes that people have induced in crops, livestock, and pets. The notion of evolution and biodiversity shows up again and again, Mindell points out, in the development of drugs made possible by genetic variations in plants, in the conservation of ecosystems, and as metaphor when applied to languages. The author concludes by looking at the role that evolution has played in people's thinking. Harvard, 2006, 352 p., hardcover, $24.95, |
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