Life's Splendid Drama: Evolutionary Biology and the Reconstruction of Life's Ancestry, 1860-1940 (Science and Its Conceptual Foundations series)

Book Description

The story of life's splendid drama has captivated generations of the general public, just as it has intrigued biologists, especially those who began to try to solve evolutionary puzzles in the years immediately after the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species in 1859. Yet histories of the Darwinian revolution have paid far more attention to theoretical debates and have largely ignored the researchers who struggled to comprehend the deeper evolutionary significance of fossil bones and the structures of living animals. Peter J. Bowler recovers some of this lost history in Life's Splendid Drama, the definitive account of evolutionary morphology and its relationships with paleontology and bio-geography.

"Intriguing and insightful."—William Kimler, American Scientist

"[A] volume of impressive scholarship and extensive references."—Library Journal

"One of Bowler's best."—Kevin Padian, Nature

"[Bowler's] comprehensive review of the various debates and ideas in taxonomy, morphology, and vertebrate evolution . . . deserves the attention of biologists and other scholars interested in the history of ideas."—Choice

"The persistence of pre-Darwinian modes of thought in contemporary biology underlines the importance of Bowler's book. Its value is not only in the history it provides, but also in the way it illumines the present."—Peter J. Causton, Boston Book Review

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Challenging as Science, Important as History.......2001-02-06

Peter J. Bowler's Life's Splendid Drama looks at evolutionary biology and the reconstruction of life from 1860 - 1940, particulary emphasizing the earlier period. It demonstrates that Darwin's ideas were not immediately transcendent, as is often presented, but instead they competed with many other ideas concerning evolution swirling around for many decades following the Origin of the Species. This is a challenging book for the non-specialist but it does provide an important look at the history of science in a very well researched and detailed manner. It is a massive read and I often had to struggle with concepts that have grown cloudy since I took biology (and could very well have been cloudy then) but it is an invaluable look at the sometimes troubled birth of modern biological science.

Life's Splendid Drama: Evolutionary Biology and the Reconstruction of Life's Ancestry, 1860-1940. (book reviews): An article from: Canadian Journal of History

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Life's Splendid Drama: Evolutionary Biology and the Reconstruction of Life's Ancestry, 1860-1940. (book reviews): An article from: Canadian Journal of History
Hannah Gay
Manufacturer: University of Saskatchewan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by University of Saskatchewan on August 1, 1997. The length of the article is 817 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Life's Splendid Drama: Evolutionary Biology and the Reconstruction of Life's Ancestry, 1860-1940. (book reviews)
Author: Hannah Gay
Publication: Canadian Journal of History (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 1997
Publisher: University of Saskatchewan
Volume: v32 Issue: n2 Page: p307(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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Life's Splendid Drama: Evolutionary Biology and the Reconstruction of Life's Ancestry, 1860-1940.: An article from: American Scientist

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Life's Splendid Drama: Evolutionary Biology and the Reconstruction of Life's Ancestry, 1860-1940.: An article from: American Scientist

Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Life's splendid drama: evolutionary biology and the reconstruction of life's ancestry 1860-1940.

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Life's splendid drama: evolutionary biology and the reconstruction of life's ancestry 1860-1940.
Peter J. Bowler
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OP0DIA

Book Description

The book covers entropy-based techniques for parameter estimation in hydrology. The techniques are presented for twenty distributions used in hydrology, including the distributions of the normal family, the extreme-value family, the Pareto family, and the logistic family. A comparative assessment of the entropy-based techniques is made with traditional methods of parameter estimation, such as the methods of moments, maximum likelihood estimation, probability-weighted moments, L-moments, and least squares, using field data as well as Monte Carlo simulation experiments.
The book is the first attempt to comprehensively present the entropy-based techniques for most distributions of interest in hydrology.
Audience: The material covered in the book will be of interest to graduate students, researchers, and teachers, as well as practitioners of agricultural engineering, civil engineering, agricultural sciences, earth sciences, environmental sciences, and forest and range sciences.

Book Description

Much of the current interest in shock compression of porous solids stems from the desire to bond hard, refractory powders into strong and dense solids. However, while much is known about the effects of shock compression on monolithic materials, the unusual physical and chemical processes that take place when a porous medium is shocked have been little studied thus far. This volume -- with contributions by leading researchers in condensed matter physics, physical chemistry, metallurgy, mechanics, and materials science -- begins to address that gap. The focus is on heterogeneous deformation mechanisms, nonequilibrium thermodynamics, and chemical processes. The contributions discuss such topics as modeling the complex interplay of thermal, mechanical, and chemical processes; experimental data on pore collapse and their interpretation; and synthesis of new materials through shock-induced chemical reactions. By presenting not only the most recent results, but also the open questions that remain, these essays convey the excitement of developing a scientific basis for understanding shock compression of highly porous solids. Topics covered include > Shock Compression Science in Highly Porous Solids > Shock Loading of Porous High Explosives > Continuum Mixture Modeling of Reactive Porous Media > Two-Phase Media Model of Shock Compression with Chemical reaction > Constitutive Modeling of Shock-Induced Reactions in Powder Mixtures > Discrete-element Modeling of Shock Processes in Powders

High-Pressure Shock Compression of Solids VI (Shock Wave and High Pressure Phenomena)

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High-Pressure Shock Compression of Solids VI (Shock Wave and High Pressure Phenomena)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0387955321

Book Description

Both experimental and theoretical investigations make it clear that mesoscale materials, that is, materials at scales intermediate between atomic and bulk matter, do not always behave in ways predicted by conventional theories of shock compression. At these scales, shock waves interact with local material properties and microstructure to produce a hierarchy of dissipative structures, such as inelastic deformation fields, randomly distributed lattice defects, and residual stresses. A macroscopically steady planar shock wave is neither plane nor steady at the mesoscale. The chapters in this book examine the assumptions underlying our understanding of shock phenomena and present new measurements, calculations, and theories that challenge these assumptions. They address such questions as: - What are the experimental data on mesoscale effects of shocks, and what are the implications? - Can one formulate new mesoscale theories of shock dynamics? - How would new mesoscale theories affect our understanding of shock-induced phase transitions or fracture? - What new computational models will be needed for investigating mesoscale shocks?

Effects of Explosions on Materials (High-Pressure Shock Compression of Condensed Matter)

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Effects of Explosions on Materials (High-Pressure Shock Compression of Condensed Matter)
Stepan S. Batsanov
Manufacturer: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

The use of explosives to generate ultrahigh pressures and thereby modify the structure and properties of condensed matter began in the 1950s and has since then become an important area of science. This book discusses the physical principles and experimental techniques of shock compression as applied to problems of inorganic chemistry and materials science. It begins with the fundamental physics of shock waves, the dynamic compressibility of solids, and physical and chemical transformations that may be produced by a shock. The second chapter turns to the experimental conditions for measurements and the preparation of ampoules. Subsequent chapters discuss: microstructural changes, such as fragmentation, shock hardening, and shock compaction; phase transformations in graphite, oxides, metals, and other materials; and chemical transformations, including mass transfer, decomposition, and diamond synthesis.

High Pressure Shock Compression of Solids II: Dynamic Fracture and Fragmentation (High Pressure Shock Compression of Condensed Matter)

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High Pressure Shock Compression of Solids II: Dynamic Fracture and Fragmentation (High Pressure Shock Compression of Condensed Matter)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

The chapters in this volume cover various aspects of fracture and fragmentation caused by shock waves interacting with solid materials. Each is by a leading researcher in the field and provides a fundamental review as well as an introduction to current research.

High-Pressure Shock Compression of Solids III (Shock Wave and High Pressure Phenomena)

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High-Pressure Shock Compression of Solids III (Shock Wave and High Pressure Phenomena)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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High-Pressure Shock Compression of Solids VI (Shock Wave and High Pressure Phenomena)

ASIN: 0387982922

Book Description

Developments in experimental methods are providing an increasingly detailed understanding of shock compression phenomena on the bulk, intermediate, and molecular scales. This third volume in a series of reviews of the curent state of knowledge covers several diverse areas. The first group of chapters addresses fundamental physical and chemical aspects of the response of condensed matter to shock comression: equations of state, molecular-dynamic analysis, deformation of materials, spectroscopic methods. Two further chapters focus on a particular group of materials: ceramics. Another chapter discusses shock-induced reaction of condensed-phase explosives. And a final pair of chapters considers shock phenomena at low stresses from the point of view of continuum mechanics.

Shock Compression of Condensed Materials

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Shock Compression of Condensed Materials
R. F. Trunin
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This unique publication summarizes fifty years of Russian research on shock compression of condensed matter using chemical and nuclear explosions. This research has important applications in physics, materials science and engineering. The book places the importance of Russian experiments in a global context. It then describes the experimental devices used, summarizing the results of experiments on pure metals, metal alloys and compounds, minerals, rocks, organic solids and liquids. The book emphasizes theoretical aspects, experimental problems, and data analysis. Since large scale underground nuclear tests have stopped, it will be some time before similar pressures can be generated by alternative means. This book will be of interest to condensed matter physicists, materials scientists, earth scientists and astrophysicists.

Shock Compression of Condensed Matter - 2001: Proceedings of the Conference of the American Physical Society, Topical Group on Shock Compression of Condensed ... 24-29, 2001 (AIP Conference Proceedings)

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Shock Compression of Condensed Matter - 2001: Proceedings of the Conference of the American Physical Society, Topical Group on Shock Compression of Condensed ... 24-29, 2001 (AIP Conference Proceedings)

Manufacturer: American Institute of Physics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0735400687

Book Description

This collection of 336 papers discusses recent research on the response of inert and energetic materials to high-pressure environments produced by rapid loading phenomena. This includes theoretical, computational (modeling/simulation) and experimental studies of inert and energetic materials, as well as ballistic and material synthesis studies and advances in experimental techniques. All papers have been peer-reviewed.

Shock Compression of Condensed Matter - 2005: Proceedings of the Conference of the American Physical Society Topical Group on Shock Compression of Condensed ... / Materials Physics and Applications)

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Shock Compression of Condensed Matter - 2005: Proceedings of the Conference of the American Physical Society Topical Group on Shock Compression of Condensed ... / Materials Physics and Applications)

Manufacturer: American Institute of Physics
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0735403414

Book Description

All papers in this volume were peer-reviewed. This volume embodies the most recent research on shock compression of condensed matter and includes 363 plenary, invited, and contributed papers. Topics addressed are: equations of state, phase transitions, chemical reactions, warm dense matter, fracture, geophysics and planetary science, energetic materials, optical studies, material modeling, and recent experimental developments in the field of shock compression of condensed matter.

Shock Compression of Condensed Matter 1999 Two Volume Set (With CD-ROM)

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Shock Compression of Condensed Matter 1999 Two Volume Set (With CD-ROM)

Manufacturer: American Institute of Physics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This collection of 298 papers discusses recent research on the response of inert and energetic materials to high-pressure environments produced by rapid loading phenomena. This includes theoretical, computational (modeling/simulation) and experimental studies of inert and energetic materials, as well as ballistic and material synthesis studies and experimental technique advances.

Shock Compression of Condensed Matter-1995: Proceedings of the Conference of the American Physical Society Topical Group on Shock Compression of Condensed ... augu (Aip Conference Proceedings, No 370)

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Shock Compression of Condensed Matter-1995: Proceedings of the Conference of the American Physical Society Topical Group on Shock Compression of Condensed ... augu (Aip Conference Proceedings, No 370)

Manufacturer: AIP Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

February 1940 and the war has yet to hit its stride. Bartholomew Bandy, the Canadian First World War air ace, is eager to enter the fray, but at 45 he is deemed too old for combat. Until, that is, in a dramatic moonlit encounter he makes a personal appeal to Prime Minister Mackenzie King, who is only too happy to send him very far away. Soon Bandy is battling the Boche in the Battle of Britain, and battling just as hard to keep his toupee a secret.

As his many admiring readers would expect, Bandy is soon carrying on shockingly with the nobly born Guinevere Plumley, she of the gorgeous body and the face of “an admiral in drag.” Through Guinevere’s mysterious connections, Bandy meets two Winston Churchills, ends up in the wrong bed in an English country house, and plays a vital security role at the Quebec Conference of 1943. There he preserves the Bandy name while dangling from the Chateau Frontenac, and is arrested as a Nazi spy. All too soon, however, he is back on duty, only to be shot down over France, where he is sought by the Allies, the Resistance, and the Gestapo alike because he knows the date of D-Day.

Whether in London, Ottawa, Quebec City, or Normandy, Bandy is in lock step with the war’s events – feeding immortal lines to the newsmakers, inconveniencing all and sundry (Lester B. Pearson and Evelyn Waugh, to mention but two) – and always seeing history made from his own unique perspective. As the book says “Waugh is Hell.”

Customer Reviews:

Donald Jack's latest Bandy tale is his best yet........1999-06-29

For those who have followed the trials of Bart Bandy this book will not only bring you up todate on his misadventures, but bring back the enjoyable moments of his checkered past. If you haven't read the previous Bandy Papers - do so if you can find them. This is the best of his adventures as he trips his way through history. Hilarious!

It was really good.......1998-12-09

After reading this book, I must say that this is probably the finest work of Donald Jack. The jokes and punes are so subtle that you can read the book several times (As I have done) and discover new ones each time. A witty and very entertaining book.

Hitler Versus Me: The Return of Bartholomew Bandy

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Hitler Versus Me: The Return of Bartholomew Bandy
Donald Jack
Manufacturer: McClelland & Stewart Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NW6HVG

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