Macroevolutionaries : reflections on natural history, paleontology, and Stephen Jay Gould / Bruce S. Lieberman and Niles Eldredge.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lieberman, Bruce S., author.

Eldredge, Niles, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gould, Stephen Jay--Influence.

Gould, Stephen Jay.

Evolution (Biology).

Natural history.

Paleontology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (225 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

LaVergne : Columbia University Press, 2024.

New York : Columbia University Press, 2024.

Summary:

"One of the twentieth century's great paleontologists and science writers, Stephen Jay Gould was, for Bruce S. Lieberman and Niles Eldredge, also a close colleague, mentor, and friend. In Macroevolutionaries, they take up the tradition of Gould's acclaimed essays on natural history, offering a series of wry and insightful reflections on the fields to which they have devoted their careers. Lieberman and Eldredge explore the major features of evolution, or "macroevolution," examining key issues in paleontology and their links to popular culture, philosophy, music, and the history of science. They focus on topics such as punctuated equilibria, mass extinctions, and the history of life-with detours including trilobites, Hollywood stuntmen, coywolves, birdwatching, and New Haven-style pizza. Lieberman and Eldredge's essays showcase their deep knowledge of the fossil record and keen appreciation of the arts and culture while touching on different aspects of Gould's life and work. Ultimately, they show why Gould's writings and perspective are still relevant today, following his lead in using the natural history essay to articulate their view of evolutionary theory and its place in contemporary life. At once thought-provoking and entertaining, Macroevolutionaries is for all readers interested in paleontology, evolutionary biology, and Gould's literary and scientific legacy"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Preface

The Three Musketeers of macroevolution : does anyone get to be D'Artagnan?

Asleep at the switch : paleontological life lessons, stasis, and the genius of Yogi Berra

Survival of the laziest : does evolution permit naps?

Time's arrow, time's cycle, Times Square : Gould, Kant, and Super Dave

Expanding evolution : organisms and species, the soma, and the technosphere

Declining volatility : a general evolutionary principle and its relevance to fossils, stocks, and stars

Paleo personas : musings on a Soviet cephalopod, Norman Newell, and mass extinctions

Stardust memories : reading evolution and extinction in the stars

Is eternal sex necessary? or, What are these coywolves doing in my backyard?

Darwin in the Galápagos : running the Beagle tape backward

Of cultural nationalism, Hamlet, and the cloaca universalis : why citation is the best policy

When is a raptor a parrot? The curious case of the American kestrel

What's your favorite trilobite? Walter Winchell wouldn't have cared.

Notes:

Title from eBook information screen..

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780231557276

0231557272

OCLC:

1451799178