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General Biology
David P. Barash and Ilona A. Barash, The Mammal in the Mirror: Understanding Our Place in the Natural World“Biology is everywhere. DNA, genetic engineering, deadly viruses, and fertility treatments are just some of the many topics we constantly read and hear about. But how much do most of us really know about the natural world and our place in it? Never before have we heard so much about something we know so little about—the complexity of life itself.
“[This book] is an ideal way to learn about this world and how it makes us who we are. It begins with the small stuff, what biologists call ‘skin-in’: a close-up view of DNA, genes, viruses, and cells; then it moves back a bit to explore the larger systems of human biology: sex and reproduction, the brain and behavior, and energy. Finally, The Mammal in the Mirror takes a look at Homo sapiens from the revealing distance of ecology, evolution, and evolutionary psychology. The result is an accurate, accessible view of ourselves that will enable every reader, regardless of background, to become bioliterate and able to understand the discoveries that make the headlines of today—and tomorrow.”
W.H. Freeman and Company, 2000. 384 pages, about 6 inches wide x 9½ inches tall, hardcover. New, remainder.
Item #371. Shipping weight: 2.0 lbs. Publisher’s price: $24.95. Your price: $6.50
Richard Dawkins, The Selfish GeneAn outstanding introduction to the genetic basis of altruism and selfishness, and to the fundamental character of evolution through natural selection. Engagingly written, witty, well-considered—and profound in its implications. I consider this one of the most important books I’ve ever read, one which illuminated my view of how the world works. Prior exposure to popular books and documentaries on animal behavior—which seemed to focus on the diversity of odd courtship or territorial behaviors without touching on their common motive—never really tied things together for me the way Dawkins did.
As Dawkins says in his Preface: “We are survival machines—robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes. This is a truth which still fills me with astonishment. Though I have known it for years, I never seem to get fully used to it. One of my hopes is that I may have some success in astonishing others.”
Oxford University Press, 1989, revised edition. 352 pages, about 5 inches wide x 7½ inches tall, paperback. New.
Item #111. Shipping weight: 1.1 lbs. Publisher’s price: $13.95. Your price: $12.55
Carl Djerassi, The Pill, Pygmy Chimps, and Degas' Horse: The Autobiography of Carl DjerassiCondition: Very Good, minor smudges on cover. Signed by the author.
Published by Basic Books (Harper Collins), 1992. Trade paperback. Used (one copy only).
Item #HB4. Shipping weight: 0.9 lb. Your price: $7.00
Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryFossilized in 530 million year old limestone in the Canadian Rockies, in a limited formation known as the Burgess Shale, were found the remains of the inhabitants of ancient seas, showing a greater diversity of life than found in all of our modern oceans. This book is the story of their discovery and the initial misinterpretation of them, but more than that, it is Gould's inquiry into the limits we set upon ourselves when we stay within the bounds of the conventions of our day, set views of life causing us to misinterpret what we see to fit those views.
Published W.W. Norton, 1989. 347 pages, about 6¼ inches wide x 9½ inches tall, hardcover. Used, book and dust jacket in very good condition.
Item #HB13. Shipping weight: 2.1 lbs. Publisher’s price: $19.95. Your price: $5.00
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