The dominant animal : human evolution and the environment /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Ehrlich, Paul R.
Imprint:Washington, DC : Island Press, ©2008.
Description:1 online resource (428 pages) : illustrations
Language:English
Subject:
Format: E-Resource Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11278886
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other authors / contributors:Ehrlich, Anne H.
ISBN:9781597264600
1597264601
9781597260961
1597260967
9781597260978
1597260975
Notes:"A Shearwater book."
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Print version record.
Summary:"Over millions of years and through countless genetic twists and turns, humanity has evolved into the dominant animal. We have populated the globe, reshaped most landscapes, eradicated myriad populations and species of other organisms, and even transformed the oceans and climate." "The vast environmental changes we have produced and the intricate cultures we have created are now shaping evolution. From the complex workings of our genes to what we eat and how we govern ourselves, we are changing our world and our world is changing us. We are creating our future. But what kind of future will it be?" "Renowned scientists and thinkers Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich tackle that fundamental question in this exploration of evolution, environment, and culture. The Dominant Animal is a scientific field trip across time and space, from the microscopic to the global. The Ehrlichs weave together the theories of Darwin, empirical studies of fruit flies, lizards, and disease, the fossil record, the psychology of perception and belief systems, the nature of the human genome, and the power of culture and environment into a single illuminating thread."--Jacket.
Other form:Print version: Ehrlich, Paul R. Dominant animal. Washington, DC : Island Press, ©2008 9781597260961
Publisher's no.:MWT11454320
Table of Contents:
  • 1. Darwin's legacy and Mendel's mechanism
  • 2. The entangled bank
  • 3. Our distant past
  • 4. Of genes and culture
  • 5. Cultural evolution : how we relate to one another
  • 6. Perception, evolution, and beliefs
  • 7. The ups and downs of populations
  • 8. History as cultural evolution
  • 9. Cycles of life (and death)
  • 10. Ecosystems and human domination of Earth
  • 11. Consumption and its costs
  • 12. A new imperative
  • 13. Altering the global atmosphere
  • 14. Energy : are we running out of it?
  • 15. Saving our natural capital
  • 16. Governance : tackling unanticipated consequences.