The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy

The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy PDF Author: Arik Kershenbaum
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0241986850
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Book Description
DISCOVER HOW LIFE REALLY WORKS - ON EARTH AND IN SPACE 'A wonderfully insightful sidelong look at Earthly biology' Richard Dawkins 'Crawls with curious facts' Sunday Times _________________________ We are unprepared for the greatest discovery of modern science. Scientists are confident that there is alien life across the universe yet we have not moved beyond our perception of 'aliens' as Hollywood stereotypes. The time has come to abandon our fixation on alien monsters and place our expectations on solid scientific footing. Using his own expert understanding of life on Earth and Darwin's theory of evolution - which applies throughout the universe - Cambridge zoologist Dr Arik Kershenbaum explains what alien life must be like. This is the story of how life really works, on Earth and in space. _________________________ 'An entertaining, eye-opening and, above all, a hopeful view of what - or who - might be out there in the cosmos' Philip Ball, author of Nature's Patterns 'A fascinating insight into the deepest of questions: what might an alien actually look like' Lewis Dartnell, author of Origins 'If you don't want to be surprised by extraterrestrial life, look no further than this lively overview of the laws of evolution that have produced life on earth' Frans de Waal, author of Mama's Last Hug

How Zoologists Organize Things

How Zoologists Organize Things PDF Author: David Bainbridge
Publisher: White Lion Publishing
ISBN: 0711252262
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 259

Book Description
Humankind’s fascination with the animal kingdom began as a matter of survival – differentiating the edible from the toxic, the ferocious from the tractable. Since then, our compulsion to catalogue wildlife has played a key role in growing our understanding of the planet and ourselves, inspiring religious beliefs and evolving scientific theories. The book unveils wild truths and even wilder myths about animals, as perpetuated by zoologists – revealing how much more there is to learn, and unlearn. Animals were among the first subjects ever drawn by humans. Long before Darwin or Watson and Crick, our ancestors studied the visual similarities and differences between the creatures which inhabit the Earth alongside us. Early savants could sense there was an order, a scheme, which unified all life. The schemes they formulated often tell us as much about ourselves as they do about the animals depicted, highlighting obsessions, fears, revelations and hopes. The human quest to classify living beings has left us with a rich artistic legacy in four great stages—the folklore and religiosity of the ancient and Medieval world; the naturalistic cataloging of the Enlightenment; the evolutionary trees and maps of the nineteenth century; and the modern, computer-hued classificatory labyrinth. The aim of this book is to tell the story of our systematization of the beasts. These charts of the zoological world parallel prevailing artistic trends and scientific discoveries, woven together with philosophical threads that run throughout: animal life as parable, a tree, a maze, a terra incognita, a mirror upon ourselves.

Invertebrate Zoology

Invertebrate Zoology PDF Author: Alan R. Holyoak
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781494436704
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 132

Book Description
This laboratory manual supports a one-semester course in invertebrate zoology. Exercises in this manual focus on an approach where you observe specimens, draw them, write down your own observations about them, and then pose questions based on what you observed. This pattern of observing and asking is the same approach zoologists often take when they develop new lines research about what animals do and how their bodies work. The manual includes introductions to microscopy and phylogenetic analysis, and hands-on exercises focusing on representatives from the following animal taxa: Symplasma - syncytial sponges; Cellularia - cellular sponges; Cnidaria - Hydrozoa, Scyphozoa, Cubozoa, and Anthozoa; Platyhelminthes - Turbellaria, Neodermata (Monogenea, Digenea, and Cestoda); Mollusca - Polyplacophora, Gastropoda, Cephalopoda, and Bivalvia; Annelida - Sipuncula, Errantia, Sedentaria; Brachiopoda (articulate and inarticulate); Nematoda; Panarthropoda - Lobopodia, Tardigrada, Arthropoda (Trilobilomorpha, Chelicerata, Arachnida, Crustacea, Myriapoda, Hexapoda); Echinodermata - Asteroidea, Echinoidea, Holothuroidea, echinoderm development; Hemichordata - Enteropneusta; and Chordata - Tunicata, Cephalochordata. I produced these exercises because the prices of textbooks and laboratory manuals have become extremely expensive over the past 20+ years. Students today sometimes have to spend over $90 for a new copy of a laboratory manual in invertebrate zoology. I'm sorry, but in my opinion that's just too much. I field-tested these exercises in my invertebrate zoology course over the past five years, and I just completed a comprehensive review of this material. I hope this lab manual will now help provide at least a little financial relief when it's time for today's invertebrate zoology students to buy books.

The Book of Shells

The Book of Shells PDF Author: M.G. Harasewych
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022617705X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 658

Book Description
Who among us hasn’t marveled at the diversity and beauty of shells? Or picked one up, held it to our ear, and then gazed in wonder at its shape and hue? Many a lifelong shell collector has cut teeth (and toes) on the beaches of the Jersey Shore, the Outer Banks, or the coasts of Sanibel Island. Some have even dived to the depths of the ocean. But most of us are not familiar with the biological origin of shells, their role in explaining evolutionary history, and the incredible variety of forms in which they come. Shells are the external skeletons of mollusks, an ancient and diverse phylum of invertebrates that are in the earliest fossil record of multicellular life over 500 million years ago. There are over 100,000 kinds of recorded mollusks, and some estimate that there are over amillion more that have yet to be discovered. Some breathe air, others live in fresh water, but most live in the ocean. They range in size from a grain of sand to a beach ball and in weight from a few grams to several hundred pounds. And in this lavishly illustrated volume, they finally get their full due. The Book of Shells offers a visually stunning and scientifically engaging guide to six hundred of the most intriguing mollusk shells, each chosen to convey the range of shapes and sizes that occur across a range of species. Each shell is reproduced here at its actual size, in full color, and is accompanied by an explanation of the shell’s range, distribution, abundance, habitat, and operculum—the piece that protects the mollusk when it’s in the shell. Brief scientific and historical accounts of each shell and related species include fun-filled facts and anecdotes that broaden its portrait. The Matchless Cone, for instance, or Conus cedonulli, was one of the rarest shells collected during the eighteenth century. So much so, in fact, that a specimen in 1796 was sold for more than six times as much as a painting by Vermeer at the same auction. But since the advent of scuba diving, this shell has become far more accessible to collectors—though not without certain risks. Some species of Conus produce venom that has caused more than thirty known human deaths. The Zebra Nerite, the Heart Cockle, the Indian Babylon, the Junonia, the Atlantic Thorny Oyster—shells from habitats spanning the poles and the tropics, from the highest mountains to the ocean’s deepest recesses, are all on display in this definitive work.

American Roadkill

American Roadkill PDF Author: Don H. Corrigan
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 147668443X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 251

Book Description
Slaughtered along our highways, roadkill may be observed regularly, but aren't likely to be given much thought. Research scientists, animal rights activists, roadkill artists, writers, ethicists and lyricists, however, are increasingly sounding the alarm. They report that we are killing the very animals we love, and are driving many of them to the brink of extinction. Detailing the death and destruction of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insect pollinators, this study examines the ways in which we are thus jeopardizing our own futures. Beginning in the Model T era, biologists counted the common carnage of the time--cottontails, woodchucks, and squirrels, mostly. That record-keeping continues today. Beyond the bleak statistics, zoologists are rerouting migratory paths of animals and are advocating for cat and dog companions. This book illuminates both our successes and failures in keeping animals out of harm's way and what those efforts reflect about ourselves and our capacity to care enough to alter the road ahead.

5 Wild Creature Adventures! (Wild Kratts)

5 Wild Creature Adventures! (Wild Kratts) PDF Author: Chris Kratt
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 1101939001
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
Five Wild Kratts Step into Reading leveled readers in one book! PBS’s hit animated show Wild Kratts follows the adventures of zoologists Chris and Martin Kratt as the duo travels to animal habitats around the globe. Along the way, they encounter incredible creatures while combining science education with fun. Boys and girls ages 4 to 6 will dive into this Step into Reading collection featuring five Wild Kratts leveled readers about sharks, reptiles, and other wild things, together in one volume! Step 2 readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories. For children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help.

Lost Woods

Lost Woods PDF Author: Rachel Carson
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 0807095443
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Book Description
Discover the previously uncollected works of the author of the environmental classic Silent Spring—considered one of the best nature writers of the 20th century. "Lyric, descriptive, informative, and moving."—The New York Times When Rachel Carson died of cancer in 1964, her four books, including the environmental classic Silent Spring, had made her one of the most famous people in America. This anthology of previously uncollected writings is a priceless addition to our knowledge of Rachel Carson, her affinity with the natural world, and her life. Featuring nature writing, speeches, field notebook passages, and letters, this collection is an invaluable insight to Carson's thought and philosophy and a treasure trove for environmentalists.

Phylogenetics

Phylogenetics PDF Author: E. O. Wiley
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118017870
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 444

Book Description
The long-awaited revision of the industry standard on phylogenetics Since the publication of the first edition of this landmark volume more than twenty-five years ago, phylogenetic systematics has taken its place as the dominant paradigm of systematic biology. It has profoundly influenced the way scientists study evolution, and has seen many theoretical and technical advances as the field has continued to grow. It goes almost without saying that the next twenty-five years of phylogenetic research will prove as fascinating as the first, with many exciting developments yet to come. This new edition of Phylogenetics captures the very essence of this rapidly evolving discipline. Written for the practicing systematist and phylogeneticist, it addresses both the philosophical and technical issues of the field, as well as surveys general practices in taxonomy. Major sections of the book deal with the nature of species and higher taxa, homology and characters, trees and tree graphs, and biogeography—the purpose being to develop biologically relevant species, character, tree, and biogeographic concepts that can be applied fruitfully to phylogenetics. The book then turns its focus to phylogenetic trees, including an in-depth guide to tree-building algorithms. Additional coverage includes: Parsimony and parsimony analysis Parametric phylogenetics including maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches Phylogenetic classification Critiques of evolutionary taxonomy, phenetics, and transformed cladistics Specimen selection, field collecting, and curating Systematic publication and the rules of nomenclature Providing a thorough synthesis of the field, this important update to Phylogenetics is essential for students and researchers in the areas of evolutionary biology, molecular evolution, genetics and evolutionary genetics, paleontology, physical anthropology, and zoology.

A History of Science

A History of Science PDF Author: Henry Smith Williams
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Book Description

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