We share 99 per cent of our genes with apes and even 66 per cent with a tasty grape. In "99% Ape: How Evolution Adds Up" leading experts provide a clear and accessible guide to evolution by natural selection. Even today, the only mechanism we know of that can produce adaptation is Darwin's revolutionary theory. This fascinating book introduces the fundamental theories of evolution and discusses advances in our understanding since Darwin's discovery.
It explores our own origins and the genealogy of all living things, as well as highlighting the key turning points throughout history. Additional chapters bring Darwin's theory up to date covering: species diversity including the classic tale of Darwin's finches; evolutionary psychology and the human mind; the question of morality; and the problem with 'intelligent design'. With historical vignettes of Darwin's own life and work throughout, "99% Ape: How Evolution Adds Up" is a comprehensive introduction to evolution and all the latest thinking on the subject.
The book is a collaboration by experts at The Open University, UK. Editor and contributor Jonathan Silvertown is an evolutionary biologist in the Department of Biological Sciences and is internationally known for his research on the evolution of plants; Peter Skelton is a palaeobiologist in the Department ofEarth Sciences and is recognised internationally as an authority on fossil bivalves and their evolution; Monica Grady is a professor of planetary and space science, and one of the world's leading meteorite experts; Caroline Pond is Professor of Comparative Anatomy in the Department of Biological Sciences. Richard Dawkins described her as "the zoologists' zoologist"; David Robinson is a zoologist and evolutionary biologist in the Department of Biological Sciences; Gary Slapper is Professor of Law and has a long-standinginterest in legal battles over the teaching of Darwinism inthe USA; Daniel Nettle worked at the Open University from 2001to 2004, and is currently Reader in the Centre for Evolution and Behaviour at Newcastle University.