Waubonsee Community College

The making of the fittest, DNA and the ultimate forensic record of evolution, Sean B. Carroll ; with illustrations by Jamie W. Carroll and Leanne M. Olds

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 269-284) and index

illustrationsplatesmaps

index present

non fiction

The making of the fittest

bibliography

69593994

Sean B. Carroll ; with illustrations by Jamie W. Carroll and Leanne M. Olds

DNA and the ultimate forensic record of evolution

DNA evidence not only solves crimes--in Sean Carroll's hands it will now end the Evolution Wars. DNA is the genetic material that defines us as individuals. Over the last two decades, it has emerged as a powerful tool for solving crimes and determining guilt & innocence. But, very recently, an important new aspect of DNA has been revealed--it contains a detailed record of evolution. That is, DNA is a living chronicle of how the marvelous creatures that inhabit our planet have adapted to its many environments, from the freezing waters of the Antarctic to the lush canopy of the rain forest. In the pages of this highly readable narrative, Sean Carroll guides the general reader on a tour of the massive DNA record of three billion years of evolution to see how the fittest are made. And what a eye-opening tour it is - one featuring immortal genes, fossil genes, and genes that bear the scars of past battles with horrible diseases. This book clinches the case for evolution, beyond any reasonable doubt

Preface : Beyond any reasonable doubt -- Introduction : The bloodless fish of Bouvet Island -- The everyday math of evolution : chance, selection, and time -- Immortal genes : running in place for eons -- Making the new from the old -- Fossil genes : broken pieces of yesterday's life -- Déjà vu : how and why evolution repeats itself -- Our flesh and blood : arms races, the human race, and natural selection -- The making and evolution of complexity -- Seeing and believing -- The palm trees of Wyoming