Research Catalog

Title

Sudden origins : fossils, genes, and the emergence of species / Jeffrey H. Schwartz.

Author

Schwartz, Jeffrey H.

Publication

New York : Wiley, [1999], ©1999.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

ix, 420 pages : illustrations; 25 cm

Summary

• The greatest riddle of evolution has been the following puzzle: while Darwin argued that new species emerge through a slow, gradual accumulation of tiny mutations, the fossil record reveals a very different scenario - the sudden emergence of whole new species, with no apparent immediate ancestors. This discrepancy has fueled heated debate among evolutionary theorists and has provided unfortunate fodder to creationists, who see it as proof that evolution doesn't happen at all.
• Now, in this book, paleoanthropologist Jeffrey Schwartz presents a radical new theory of evolution, which brings together evidence from genetics, paleontology, embryology, and anatomy to solve this great outstanding riddle. Central to the new theory is the recent discovery of a special kind of gene, known as homeobox genes, which can cause dramatic mutations that express themselves suddenly in the form of a new species.
• Such a new species will appear to have arisen out of thin air, with no lineage of ancestors. The new theory preserves natural selection, but shows that it is not the primary engine driving evolution, after all. Sudden Origins is a provocative and important book that will change the debate about evolution and challenge a number of popular ideas premised on the foundation of Darwinism. This book is crucial reading for anyone who has ever pondered the mysteries of our evolutionary heritage.

Subject

• Evolution (Biology)
• Homeobox genes
• Fossils

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 380-404) and index.

Contents

1. A Rash of Discoveries -- 2. How Humans Distinguished Themselves from the Rest of the Animal World -- 3. Coming to Grips with the Past -- 4. Filling in the Gaps of Human Evolution -- 5. Humans as Embryos -- 6. Development, Inheritance, and Evolutionary Change -- 7. Genetics and the Demise of Darwinism -- 8. Rediscovering Darwin -- 9. Genetics Goes Statistical -- 10. The Origin of Species Revisited -- 11. Toward a New Evolution -- 12. The New Evolution.

ISBN

0471329851 (cloth : alk. paper)

LCCN

98045724

OCLC

ocm40076618

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries