List of popular science books on evolution
Encyclopedia
This is a list of popular science
book
s concerning evolution
, sorted by surname of the author.
Popular science
Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many...
book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s concerning evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, sorted by surname of the author.
B
- Paul M. BinghamPaul M. BinghamPaul Montgomery Bingham is an American molecular biologist and evolutionary biologist, Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Stony Brook University...
and Joanne Souza (2009). Death from a Distance and the Birth of a Humane Universe: Human Evolution, Behavior, History, and Your Future.
C
- Sean B. CarrollSean B. CarrollSean B. Carroll is a Professor of Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Medical Genetics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He studies the evolution of cis-regulation in the context of biological development, using Drosophila as a model system...
(2006). The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution. - Sean B. Carroll (2005). Endless Forms Most BeautifulEndless Forms Most BeautifulEndless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom is a 2005 book by Sean B. Carroll. It attempts to summarize the emerging field of evolutionary developmental biology and has won numerous awards for science communication...
: The New Science of Evo Devo. - Brian CharlesworthBrian CharlesworthProfessor Brian Charlesworth FRS is a British evolutionary biologist at the University of Edinburgh, and editor of Biology Letters....
and Deborah Charlesworth (2003). Evolution: A Very Short Introduction. - Matteo Conti (2008). The Selfish Cell: An evolutionary defeat.
- Jerry CoyneJerry Coyne-Online articles:* , The New Republic* , The New Republic* , The New Republic* ", The New Republic * -Online articles:* , The New Republic* , The New Republic* , The New Republic* ", The New Republic (Review of Michael Behe's The Edge of Evolution)* -Online articles:* , The New Republic* , The...
(2009). Why Evolution Is True.
D
- Charles DarwinCharles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
(1859). The Origin of SpeciesThe Origin of SpeciesCharles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, published on 24 November 1859, is a work of scientific literature which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. Its full title was On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the...
. - Charles Darwin (1871). The Descent of Man.
- Richard DawkinsRichard DawkinsClinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
(1976). The Selfish GeneThe Selfish GeneThe Selfish Gene is a book on evolution by Richard Dawkins, published in 1976. It builds upon the principal theory of George C. Williams's first book Adaptation and Natural Selection. Dawkins coined the term "selfish gene" as a way of expressing the gene-centred view of evolution as opposed to the...
. - Richard Dawkins (1982). The Extended PhenotypeThe Extended PhenotypeThe Extended Phenotype is a biological concept introduced by Richard Dawkins in a 1982 book with the same title. The main idea is that phenotype should not be limited to biological processes such as protein biosynthesis or tissue growth, but extended to include all effects that a gene has on its...
. - Richard Dawkins (1986). The Blind WatchmakerThe Blind WatchmakerThe Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design is a 1986 book by Richard Dawkins in which he presents an explanation of, and argument for, the theory of evolution by means of natural selection. He also presents arguments to refute certain criticisms made on...
. - Richard Dawkins (1995). River out of EdenRiver out of EdenRiver Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life is a 1995 popular science book by Richard Dawkins. The book is about Darwinian evolution and includes summaries of the topics covered in his earlier books, The Selfish Gene, The Extended Phenotype and The Blind Watchmaker. It is part of the Science...
. - Richard Dawkins (1996). Climbing Mount ImprobableClimbing Mount ImprobableClimbing Mount Improbable is a 1996 popular science book by Richard Dawkins. The book is about probability and how it applies to the theory of evolution, and is specifically designed to debunk claims by creationists about the probability of naturalistic mechanisms like natural selection.The main...
. - Richard Dawkins (2004). The Ancestor's TaleThe Ancestor's TaleThe Ancestor's Tale is a 2004 popular science book by Richard Dawkins, with contributions from Dawkins' research assistant Yan Wong. It follows the path of humans backwards through evolutionary history, meeting humanity's cousins as they converge on common ancestors...
. - Richard Dawkins (2009). The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for EvolutionThe Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for EvolutionThe Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution is a 2009 book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, which was released on 3 September 2009 in the UK and on 22 September 2009 in the U.S...
. - Daniel DennettDaniel DennettDaniel Clement Dennett is an American philosopher, writer and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the Co-director of...
(1995). Darwin's Dangerous IdeaDarwin's Dangerous IdeaDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life is a book by Daniel Dennett which argues that Darwinian processes are the central organizing force that gives rise to complexity...
. - Daniel Dennett (2003). Freedom EvolvesFreedom EvolvesFreedom Evolves is a 2003 popular science and philosophy book by Daniel C. Dennett. Dennett describes the book as an installment of a life-long philosophical project, earlier parts of which were The Intentional Stance, Consciousness Explained and Elbow Room...
. - Jared DiamondJared DiamondJared Mason Diamond is an American scientist and author whose work draws from a variety of fields. He is currently Professor of Geography and Physiology at UCLA...
(1992). The Third ChimpanzeeThe Third ChimpanzeeThe Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal is a wide-ranging book by Jared Diamond, professor of geography and physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles , which applies insights from biology, anthropology, and linguistics to questions such as why one species... - Theodosius DobzhanskyTheodosius DobzhanskyTheodosius Grygorovych Dobzhansky ForMemRS was a prominent geneticist and evolutionary biologist, and a central figure in the field of evolutionary biology for his work in shaping the unifying modern evolutionary synthesis...
(1937; 2nd ed 1941; 3rd ed 1951). Genetics and the Origin of SpeciesGenetics and the Origin of SpeciesGenetics and the Origin of Species is a 1937 book by the twentieth century Ukrainian-American evolutionary biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky and one of the important books of the modern evolutionary synthesis. The book describes the Modern Synthesis of Evolution Theory, also known as Synthetic...
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E
- Niles EldredgeNiles EldredgeNiles Eldredge is an American paleontologist, who, along with Stephen Jay Gould, proposed the theory of punctuated equilibrium in 1972.-Education:...
(2001). The Triumph of Evolution: and the Failure of Creationism.
F
- Daniel J. FairbanksDaniel J. FairbanksDaniel J. Fairbanks is a former dean of Undergraduate Education at Brigham Young University . He is a specialist in biology who has written books on the subject.-Biography:...
(2007). Relics of Eden: The Powerful Evidence of Evolution in Human DNA.
G
- Ann Gibbons (2007). The First Human: The Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors.
- Stephen Jay GouldStephen Jay GouldStephen Jay Gould was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation....
(1977). Ever Since DarwinEver Since DarwinEver Since Darwin was the paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould's first book of collected essays. Published in 1977, the collection originated from his monthly column "This View of Life," published in Natural History magazine. Edwin Barber—who was then the editorial director for W. W...
. - Stephen Jay Gould (1989). Wonderful LifeWonderful Life (book)Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History is a book on the evolution of Cambrian fauna by Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould...
. - Stephen Jay Gould (1996). Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to DarwinFull House: The Spread of Excellence From Plato to DarwinFull House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin is a book by evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould, published in 1996. It was released in the UK as Life's Grandeur, with the same subtitle....
.
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- Marc HauserMarc HauserMarc D. Hauser is an American evolutionary biologist and a researcher in primate behavior and animal cognition who taught in the Psychology Department at Harvard University. In August 2010, a committee of Harvard faculty found Hauser solely responsible for eight counts of unspecified scientific...
(2006). Moral MindsMoral MindsMoral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong is a 2006 book by Harvard psychologist Marc Hauser in which he develops an empirically grounded theory to explain morality as a universal grammar...
. - Julian HuxleyJulian HuxleySir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS was an English evolutionary biologist, humanist and internationalist. He was a proponent of natural selection, and a leading figure in the mid-twentieth century evolutionary synthesis...
(1942). Evolution: the modern synthesisEvolution: The Modern SynthesisEvolution: The Modern Synthesis, a 1942 book by Julian Huxley , is one of the most important books of the modern evolutionary synthesis.- Publication history :Allen & Unwin, London...
. - Thomas Henry Huxley (1863). Evidence as to Man's Place in NatureEvidence as to Man's Place in NatureEvidence as to Man's Place in Nature is an 1863 book by Thomas Henry Huxley, in which he gives evidence for the evolution of man and apes from a common ancestor. It was the first book devoted to the topic of human evolution, and discussed much of the anatomical and other evidence...
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J
- Donald JohanssonDonald JohanssonDonald Johansson was a Swedish cross country skier who competed in the 1930s. He won a bronze medal in the 4 x 10 km at the 1938 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti.-External links:*...
(2006). From Lucy to Language: Revised, Updated, and Expanded. - Steve JonesSteve Jones (biologist)John Stephen Jones is a Welsh geneticist and from 1995 to 1999 and 2008 to June 2010 was Head of the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London. His studies are conducted in the Galton Laboratory. He is also a television presenter and a prize-winning author on...
(1995). The Language of the GenesThe Language of the GenesThe Language of the Genes is a popular science book by Steve Jones about genetics and evolution. It followed a 1991 series of Reith Lectures by Jones with the same title...
. - David Starr JordanDavid Starr JordanDavid Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
(1901). The Blood of the NationThe Blood of the NationThe Blood of the Nation: A Study in the Decay of Races by the Survival of the Unfit was the title of a number of publications by the American eugenicist David Starr Jordan one time president of Stanford University . Jordan's thesis under this name first appeared in the May 1901 edition of Popular...
: A Study in the Decay of Races by the Survival of the Unfit - Joseph JordaniaJoseph JordaniaJoseph Jordania is an Australian-Georgian ethnomusicologist and evolutionary musicologist. In some early publications his name was spelled as Zhordania...
(2006). Who Asked the First Question?Who Asked the First Question?Who Asked the First Question? The Origins of Human Choral Singing, Intelligence, Language and Speech is a book on human evolution and the origins of human choral singing. It was written by Joseph Jordania, ethnomusicologist and evolutionary musicologist, Honorary Fellow of the University of...
: The Origins of Human Choral Singing, Intelligence, Language and Speech - Joseph JordaniaJoseph JordaniaJoseph Jordania is an Australian-Georgian ethnomusicologist and evolutionary musicologist. In some early publications his name was spelled as Zhordania...
(2011). Why do People Sing? Music in Human EvolutionWhy do People Sing? Music in Human EvolutionWhy do People Sing? Music in Human Evolution is a book on human evolution by Australian/Georgian ethnomusicologist and evolutionary musicologist Joseph Jordania, published in 2011 by “Logos”...
K
- Marc W. Kirschner and John C. Gerhart (2006). The Plausibility of Life: Resolving Darwin's Dilemma.
M
- John Maynard SmithJohn Maynard SmithJohn Maynard Smith,His surname was Maynard Smith, not Smith, nor was it hyphenated. F.R.S. was a British theoretical evolutionary biologist and geneticist. Originally an aeronautical engineer during the Second World War, he took a second degree in genetics under the well-known biologist J.B.S....
(1958). The Theory of EvolutionThe Theory of EvolutionThe Theory of Evolution is a book by English evolutionary biologist and geneticist John Maynard Smith, originally published in 1958. It serves as a general introduction to the eponymous subject, intended to be accessible to those with little technical knowledge of the area. It has been highly...
. - John Maynard Smith (1972). On Evolution.
- John Maynard Smith (1978). The Evolution of Sex.
- John Maynard Smith (1982). Evolution and the Theory of GamesEvolution and the Theory of GamesEvolution and the Theory of Games is a 1982 book by the British evolutionary biologist John Maynard Smith on evolutionary game theory. In it, Maynard Smith summarises work on evolutionary game theory that had developed in the 1970s, to which he made several important contributions...
. - John Maynard Smith (1989). Evolutionary GeneticsEvolutionary geneticsEvolutionary genetics is the broad field of studies that attempts to account for evolution in terms of changes in gene and genotype frequencies within populations and the processes that convert the variation with populations into more or less permanent variation between species...
. - John Maynard Smith and Eörs SzathmáryEörs SzathmáryEörs Szathmáry is a Hungarian theoretical evolutionary biologist at the late Collegium Budapest Eörs Szathmáry (born 1959) is a Hungarian theoretical evolutionary biologist at the late Collegium Budapest Eörs Szathmáry (born 1959) is a Hungarian theoretical evolutionary biologist at the late...
(1997). The Major Transitions in EvolutionThe Major Transitions in EvolutionThe Major Transitions in Evolution is a book written by John Maynard Smith and Eörs Szathmáry . This was a seminal publication that continues to contribute to ongoing issues in evolutionary biology....
. - John Maynard Smith and Eörs Szathmáry (1999). The Origins of Life: From the Birth of Life to the Origin of Language.
- Ernst MayrErnst MayrErnst Walter Mayr was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists. He was also a renowned taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, historian of science, and naturalist...
(2002). What Evolution Is. - Ernst Mayr (2007). One Long Argument: Charles Darwin and the Genesis of Modern Evolutionary Thought.
- Kenneth R. MillerKenneth R. MillerKenneth Raymond Miller is a biology professor at Brown University. Miller, who is Roman Catholic, is particularly known for his opposition to creationism, including the intelligent design movement...
(2000). Finding Darwin's GodFinding Darwin's GodFinding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution is a 2000 book by the American cell biologist and Roman Catholic Kenneth R. Miller wherein he argues that evolution does not contradict religious faith...
. - Kenneth R. Miller (2008). Only a TheoryOnly a TheoryOnly A Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul is a 2008 book by the American cell biologist and Roman Catholic Kenneth R. Miller. In the book, Miller examines the battle between evolution and intelligent design , and explores the implications of science in America...
: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul.
P
- Donald Prothero (2006). After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals.
- Donald Prothero (2007). Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters.
- Steven PinkerSteven PinkerSteven Arthur Pinker is a Canadian-American experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, linguist and popular science author...
(1997). How the Mind WorksHow the Mind WorksHow the Mind Works is a book by Canadian-American cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, published in 1997. The book attempts to explain some of the human mind's poorly understood functions and quirks in evolutionary terms...
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R
- Matt RidleyMatt RidleyMatthew White Ridley, FRSL, FMedSci is an English journalist, writer, biologist, and businessman.-Career:...
(1994). The Red QueenThe Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human NatureThe Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature is a popular science book by Matt Ridley exploring the evolutionary psychology of sexual selection...
. - Matt Ridley (1997). The Origins of VirtueThe Origins Of VirtueThe Origins of Virtue is a 1996 popular science book by Matt Ridley. In the book, Ridley explores the issues surrounding the development of human morality...
. - Matt Ridley (1999). GenomeGenome (book)Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters is a 1999 popular science book by Matt Ridley, published by Fourth Estate.The book devotes one chapter to each pair of human chromosomes. Since one chapter is required to discuss the sex chromosomes, the final chapter is number 22...
. - Matt Ridley (2003). Nature Via Nurture: Genes, Experience, and What Makes Us Human.
- Reprinted as The Agile Gene: How Nature Turns on Nurture.
- Michael RuseMichael RuseMichael Ruse is a philosopher of biology at Florida State University, and is well known for his work on the creationism/evolution controversy and the demarcation problem in science...
(1998). Taking Darwin Seriously: A Naturalistic Approach to Philosophy. - Michael Ruse (1999). The Darwinian Revolution: Science Red in Tooth and Claw.
- Michael Ruse (2001). The Evolution Wars: A Guide to the Debates.
- Michael Ruse (2001). Mystery of Mysteries: Is Evolution a Social Construction?.
- Michael Ruse (2006). Darwinism and Its Discontents.
- Michael Ruse (2006). Evolution-Creation Struggle.
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- Carl SaganCarl SaganCarl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
(1977). The Dragons of EdenThe Dragons of EdenThe Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence is a Pulitzer Prize winning 1977 book by Carl Sagan. In it, he combines the fields of anthropology, evolutionary biology, psychology, and computer science to give a perspective of how human intelligence evolved.One of the main...
. - Neil ShubinNeil ShubinNeil Shubin is an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer. He is the Robert R. Bensley Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, Associate Dean of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and Professor on the Committee of Evolutionary Biology at the University of...
(2008). Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body. - John SkoylesJohn Skoyles (scientist)John Skoyles is a dyslexic neuroscientist and evolutionary psychologist. He initially studied philosophy of science at the London School of Economics and then did MRC funded research upon neuroscience and dyslexia at University College London....
and Dorion SaganDorion SaganDorion Sagan is an American science writer, essayist, and theorist. He has written and co-authored many books on culture, evolution, and the history and philosophy of science, most recently "The Sciences of Avatar: from Anthropology to Xenology" and "Death and Sex," which won first place at the...
(2002). Up from Dragons: The evolution of human intelligenceUp from DragonsUp from Dragons: The Evolution of Human Intelligence is a 2002 book on human evolution, the human brain, and the origins of human cognition by John Skoyles and Dorion Sagan. The book considers how the brain and genes evolved into their present condition over the course of thousands and millions of...
. - Cameron M. Smith and Charles SullivanCharles SullivanCharles Sullivan may refer to:*Charles Sullivan , American jazz trumpeter*Charles F. Sullivan, Lieutenant Governor for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1949–1953...
(2006). The Top 10 Myths About Evolution.
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- Nicholas WadeNicholas WadeNicholas Wade is a British-born scientific reporter, editor and author who currently writes for the Science Times section of The New York Times.-Biography:Wade was born in Aylesbury, England and educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge...
(2006). Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors. - Jonathan WeinerJonathan WeinerJonathan Weiner is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author of non-fiction books on his biology observations, in particular evolution in the Galápagos Islands, genetics, and the environment....
(1994). The Beak of the FinchThe Beak of the FinchThe Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time is a 1994 nonfiction book about evolutionary biology, written by Jonathan Weiner. It won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The finches of the title are the Galapagos or 'Darwin's Finches,' passerine songbirds in the Galapagos...
. - David Sloan WilsonDavid Sloan WilsonDavid Sloan Wilson is an American evolutionary biologist and a Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at Binghamton University. He is a son of the author Sloan Wilson.-Academic career:...
(2007). Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives. - Bernard WoodBernard WoodBernard John Wood FRS is a British geophysicist, and Research Professor, at Oxford University. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.-Life:...
(2006). Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction.
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- Carl ZimmerCarl ZimmerCarl Zimmer is a popular science writer and blogger, especially regarding the study of evolution and parasites. He has written several books and contributes science essays to publications such as The New York Times and Discover...
(2001). Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea. - Carl Zimmer (2005). Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins.