The Evolution Explosion, How Humans Cause Rapid Evolutionary Change
Stephen R. Palumbi
A critical look at the intersection of evolution and high-tech modern life
Evolution is not only the slow process that ruled the rise and fall of the dinosaurs over hundreds of millions of years. It also happens quickly &endash; so quickly and frequently that it changes how all of us live our lives: drugs fail because diseases evolve; insects overcome the most powerful pesticides; HIV and tuberculosis develop resistance to the newest drugs in a few months. This is evolution with teeth.
While the ecological scars of human technology have been well publicized, the broad consequences of antibiotic and antiviral use, insecticide applications, and herbicide bioengineering are largely unexplored. Does the human impact on evolution falter at the borders of our own species? Or do we, in fact, generate our own evolutionary pressure?
Enthusiastically written for a wide audience, The Evolution Explosion examines these practical and critical aspects of modern evolution with simplicity, force and humor.
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1 From the Mountains to the Sea
- Chapter 2 Right Before Your Eyes
- Chapter 3 The Engine Of Evolution
- Chapter 4 Temporary Miracles
- Chapter 5 The Evolution of HIV
- Chapter 6 Poisoning Insects, and What They Can Do About It
- Chapter 7 Biotechnology and the Chemical Plow
- Chapter 8 Evolution All at Sea
- Chapter 9 Are Humans Still Evolving?
- Chapter 10 The Ecology and Evolution of Aloha
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