![Understanding the Tree of Life]( "Understanding the Tree of Life")
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About this book
Contents
Customer reviews
Biography
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About this book
Challenge outdated views of evolution and embrace a clearer understanding of life's incredible diversity with this enlightening exploration of evolutionary trees. Far from being a linear ladder of progress, evolution is a vast, branching tree where all species – humans included – are evolutionary cousins, not ancestors or descendants. Every organism alive today shares the same 3.5 billion years of evolutionary history, uniquely adapted to its own environment. This book takes readers on a journey through the tree of life, beginning with humanity's closest relatives and expanding outward to the most distantly related organisms. By unravelling the misconceptions perpetuated by news articles and traditional depictions of evolution it offers a fresh perspective on life's interconnectedness. With engaging insights and vivid illustrations, this book fosters a deeper appreciation for the remarkable complexity and diversity of life on Earth, making it an essential read for anyone curious about our evolutionary story.
Contents
Foreword Kostas Kampourakis
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction to the tree of life - Drawing trees and why there is no trunk
2. Human origins - We are African...mostly
3. Primates - Our closest living cousins
4. Which mammals are the most primitive - None of us
5. Birds are reptiles, Birds are theropod dinosaurs
6. The Crawl onto land - Tetrapod evolution and the gain and loss of limbs
7. Which fishes are 'primitive'? Do fish even exist?
8. Animal evolution - Sponges and comb jellies are our cousins
9. Plants, animals, fungi and 'protists' - We are eukaryotes
10. Archaea then bacteria are our most distant cousins
Concluding remarks
Summary of common misunderstandings
References and further reading
Figure credits
Index
Customer Reviews
Biography
Kevin Omland is Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, specialising in avian evolution, behaviour, and conservation. His research focuses on using phylogenies to explore the evolution of colour and song in birds, with particular interest in female song in New World orioles and the conservation of the endangered Bahama Oriole. Passionate about teaching, he emphasises biodiversity, evolutionary trees, and understanding humanity's place in the tree of life. Kevin is an experienced author and has published over 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and contributed two book chapters on phylogeny and evolutionary biology.
Popular Science
New
By: Kevin Omland(Author), Kostas Kampourakis(Foreword By)
223 pages, b/w illustrations, tables
"In this fascinating book, Kevin Omland takes us on a tour of the tree of life, intertwining marvelous stories of evolutionary adaptation with cogent explanations of how scientists discover what we know about the history of life."
– Jonathan Losos, Washington University
"Using engaging examples from across the tree of life, Omland identifies and debunks significant misinterpretations about evolutionary history that are widespread inside and outside of professional scientific circles. Readers will become skilled at thinking accurately about evolution as a branching, non-progressive process and, on the way, learn how our own species, Homo sapiens, connects through shared ancestry to the other fascinating organisms with which we share the planet"
– David A. Baum, University of Wisconsin, Madison
"Expertly written, in this book Omland strips away all of the misconceptions about phylogenetic trees and our own evolutionary history, so that we can see the fundamental beauty in the continuously unfolding story of life on this planet. Along the way, he elevates organisms that have been incorrectly referred to as living fossils or primitive species, spotlighting their unique adaptations for their way of life. I highly recommend this book to students, natural history buffs, and practicing scientists alike!"
– Stacey D. Smith, University of Colorado, Boulder
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