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This page contains all of the posts and discussion on MemeStreams referencing the following web page: The Ancestor's Tale. You can find discussions on MemeStreams as you surf the web, even if you aren't a MemeStreams member, using the Threads Bookmarklet.
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The Ancestor's Tale by Jeremy at 11:16 pm EDT, Oct 18, 2004 |
Renowned biologist and thinker Richard Dawkins presents his most expansive work yet: a comprehensive look at evolution, ranging from the latest developments in the field to his own provocative views. Loosely based on the form of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Dawkins's Tale takes us modern humans back through four billion years of life on earth. As our pilgrimage progresses, we join with other organisms at the 'rendezvous points' where we find a common ancestor. The band of pilgrims swells into a vast crowd as we join first with other primates, then with other mammals, and so on back to the very first primordial organism. Dawkins's brilliant, inventive approach allows us to view the connections between ourselves and all other life in a bracingly novel way. It also lets him shed bright new light on the most compelling aspects of evolutionary history and theory: sexual selection, speciation, convergent evolution, extinction, genetics, plate tectonics, geographical dispersal, and more. The Ancestor's Tale is at once a far-reaching survey of the latest, best thinking on biology and a fascinating history of all living things. |
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RE: The Ancestor's Tale by Romanpoet at 5:15 pm EDT, Oct 19, 2004 |
A while ago I saw an article by Dawkins on edge.org that basically asked the question, "Why hasnt a science book ever won the Nobel Prize for Literature?". Looking at the...unusual nature of this book, I think he plans to change that. I'll be impressed if he pulls it off. http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/dawkins04/dawkins04_index.html |
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The Ancestor's Tale by lclough at 6:28 am EDT, Oct 19, 2004 |
Renowned biologist and thinker Richard Dawkins presents his most expansive work yet: a comprehensive look at evolution, ranging from the latest developments in the field to his own provocative views. Loosely based on the form of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Dawkins's Tale takes us modern humans back through four billion years of life on earth. As our pilgrimage progresses, we join with other organisms at the 'rendezvous points' where we find a common ancestor. The band of pilgrims swells into a vast crowd as we join first with other primates, then with other mammals, and so on back to the very first primordial organism. Dawkins's brilliant, inventive approach allows us to view the connections between ourselves and all other life in a bracingly novel way. It also lets him shed bright new light on the most compelling aspects of evolutionary history and theory: sexual selection, speciation, convergent evolution, extinction, genetics, plate tectonics, geographical dispersal, and more. The Ancestor's Tale is at once a far-reaching survey of the latest, best thinking on biology and a fascinating history of all living things. Must read. |
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