Force of nature : understanding evolution's deepest logic--and putting it to use / Owen D. Jones.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jones, Owen D., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Natural selection.

Biomimicry.

Adaptation (Biology).

Evolution (Biology).

Brain--Evolution.

Brain.

Genre:

Popular works.

Physical Description:

xix, 262 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, [2026]

Summary:

"Most of us learned about natural selection back in high school science class and think we understand it pretty well-or, at least, we get the basics of how it works. Many of us even have a sense of its implications for everyday life, like how we should be cautious about overusing antibiotics, but also take care to finish out a full prescription even after we're already feeling better. Yet studies show that significant misconceptions about evolution and natural selection abound, even among highly educated specialists in biology, from medical students to high school biology teachers-not to mention the rest of us. In Force of Nature, professor of biology and law Owen D. Jones shows how we misunderstand and neglect natural selection to our detriment, both missing opportunities to better achieve our goals and, sometimes, even imperiling lives and livelihoods. Ranging across the natural world and spheres of human endeavor alike, from medicine, agriculture, and AI to economics, law, and beyond, Jones demonstrates how a finer appreciation of the speed, scale, and applications of natural selection-including its influence on behavior, both human and animal-can help open new horizons in cancer treatment and space exploration; create faster machines and more maneuverable robots; design more effective, just laws; and more. We all know that evolution put us here in the first place, but Force of Nature shows how a richer understanding of it can be even more useful than we may think"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: Evolution's Deepest Logic

Part I: Natural Selection in Action. Time, Speed, Space, and Universality

Sickness and Selection

Platefuls, Pests, and Pressures

Evolve to Solve

Biology's Blueprints

Part II: Natural Selection: Human Decision-Making and Behavior. Bodies, Brains, and Behaviors

The Adapted Brain

Primal Preferences

The Genesis of Justice

Conclusion: Life's Most Powerful Process.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780393881929

039388192X

OCLC:

1535851237