A history of biology / Michel Morange ; translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan and Joseph Muise.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Morange, Michel, author.

Contributor:

Muise, Joseph, translator.

Fagan, Teresa Lavender, translator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Biology--History.

Biology.

Life sciences--History.

Life sciences.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (448 p.)

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2021]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

A comprehensive history of the biological sciences from antiquity to the modern eraThis book presents a global history of the biological sciences from ancient times to today, providing needed perspective on the development of biological thought while shedding light on the field's upheavals and key breakthroughs through the ages. Michel Morange brings to life the dynamic interplay of science, society, and biology’s many subdisciplines, enabling readers to better appreciate the interdisciplinary exchanges that have shaped the field over the centuries.Each chapter of this incisive book focuses on a specific period in the history of biology, describing the major transformations that occurred, the enduring scientific concerns behind these changes, and the implications of yesterday's science for today's. Morange covers everything from the first cell theory to the origins of the concept of ecosystems, and offers perspectives on areas that are often neglected by historians of biology, such as ecology, ethology, and plant biology. Along the way, he highlights the contributions of technology, the important role of hypothesis and experimentation, and the cultural contexts in which some of the most breathtaking discoveries in biology were made.Unrivaled in scope and written by a world-renowned historian of science, A History of Biology is an ideal introduction for students and experts alike, and essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the present state of biological knowledge.

Contents:

Ancient Greece and Rome

The Middle Ages and Arab-Muslim Science

The Renaissance (Sixteenth Century)

The Age of Classicism (Seventeenth Century)

The Enlightenment (Eighteenth Century)

The Nineteenth Century (Part I): embryology, cell biology, microbiology, and physiology

The Nineteenth Century (Part II): The theory of evolution, the theory of heredity, and ecology

The Twentieth Century (Part I): The diversity of functional biology and the birth of molecular biology

The Twentieth Century (Part II): The theory of evolution, ecology, ethology

Twentieth–Twenty-First Centuries: After the syntheses.

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

1 Ancient Greece and Rome

2 The Middle Ages and Arab-Muslim Science

3 The Renaissance (Sixteenth Century)

4 The Age of Classicism (Seventeenth Century)

5 The Enlightenment (Eighteenth Century)

6 The Nineteenth Century (Part I): Embryology,

7 The Nineteenth Century (Part II): The Theory of Evolution, the Theory of Heredity, and Ecology

8 The Twentieth Century (Part I): The Diversity of Functional Biology and the Birth of Molecular Biology

9 The Twentieth Century (Part II): The Theory of Evolution, Ecology, Ethology

10 Twentieth–Twenty- First Centuries: After the Syntheses

In Conclusion

References

Index of Names

Thematic Index

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-691-18878-5

OCLC:

1184123419