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Darwin's Reach: 21st Century Applications of Evolutionary Biology

Autor Norman A. Johnson
en Limba Engleză Paperback – 25 aug 2026
The application of evolutionary biology addresses a wide range of practical problems in medicine, agriculture, the environment, and society. Such cutting-edge applications are emerging due to recent advances in DNA sequencing, new gene editing tools, and computational methods. This book is about applied evolution – the application of the principles of and information about evolutionary biology to diverse practical matters. Although applied evolution has existed, unrecognized, for a very long time, today’s version has a much wider scope. Evolutionary medicine has formed into its own discipline. Evolutionary approaches have long been employed in agriculture and in conservation biology. But Darwin’s reach now extends beyond just these three fields. It now also includes forensic biology and the law. Ideas from evolutionary biology can be used to inform policy regarding foreign affairs and national security. Applied evolution is not only interdisciplinary, but also multidisciplinary. Consequently, this book is for experts in one field who are interested in expanding their evolutionary horizons. It is also for students, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. One of the public relations challenges faced by evolutionary biology is that most people do not see it being all that relevant to their daily lives. Even many who accept evolution do not grasp how far Darwin’s reach extends. Darwin’s Reach will change that perception. In addition, three new chapters have been added. One focuses on what we know about the origin and continuing evolution of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID.  Another focuses on the threat to cattle and humans from avian influenza. A third investigates evolution in livestock breeding.
 
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Specificații

ISBN-13: 9781032885445
ISBN-10: 1032885440
Pagini: 392
Ilustrații: 70
Dimensiuni: 178 x 254 mm
Ediția:2
Editura: CRC Press
Colecția CRC Press

Public țintă

General, Postgraduate, Professional Practice & Development, Professional Reference, and Undergraduate Advanced

Cuprins

 
Chapter 1 – Paging Dr. Darwin
 
Chapter 2 – Going Viral: Evolution and Viral Diseases
 
Chapter 3 – The First Six Years of Covid: Its Origins and Its Continuing Evolution
 
Chapter 4 – Avian Flu
 
Chapter 5 – Vectors of Disease
 
Chapter 6 – Mismatch – Are We Stuck With our Past
 
Chapter 7 – From Genetic Mapping to Personalized Medicine
 
Chapter 8 – Darwin Meets the Emperor of all Maladies
 
Chapter 9 – Human Life History
 
Chapter 10 – Darwin at the Farm
 
Chapter 11 – Managing Agriculture
 
Chapter 12 – Buccaneers of Buzz : Bee and Pollination Services
 
Chapter 13 – Darwinian Meat
 
Chapter 14 – The Biodiversity Crisis
 
Chapter 15 – Challenges in the Oceans
 
Chapter 16 - Challenges in the City
 
Chapter 17 – Challenges from Invasive Species
 
Chapter 18 – The Sequence on the Stand
 
Chapter 19 – Darwinian Security
 
Chapter 20 – Human Genetic Diversity and the Non-Existence of Biological Races

Notă biografică

Norman A. Johnson is an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He who received his doctoral degree from the University of Rochester and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago. Johnson has also taught at the University of Chicago, the University of Texas at Arlington, and Hampshire College. Most of his research has been on the genetics and evolution of why hybrids between species are often sterile or inviable. Other research interests include the evolution of sex chromosomes, the evolution of extremely large dietary niches in insects, conflict between different parts of the genome, and the interplay between the relaxation of selection and the loss of traits. 

In addition to Darwin’s Reach, Johnson wrote Darwinian Detectives: Revealing the Natural History of Genes and Genomes (Oxford University Press, 2007). This book examines how biologists infer the action of natural selection and other evolutionary processes from DNA sequence information. He also co‑edited (with Jason Somarelli) Cancer Through the Lens of Evolution and Ecology (CRC Press, 2024). Dr. Johnson has been active in science communication and outreach; notably, he co‑led the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center working group on communicating the relevance of human evolution.

Descriere

The application of evolutionary biology addresses a wide range of practical problems in medicine, agriculture, the environment, and society. This book is about applied evolution. Although applied evolution has existed, unrecognized, for a very long time, today’s version has a much wider scope.

Recenzii

In Darwin’s Reach, Norman Johnson takes Dobzhansky’s assertion that ‘nothing in biology makes sense outside the light of evolution’ to a new level. This remarkable book demonstrates how an evolutionary ‘lens’ can deepen our understanding of critical issues. With compelling prose and masterful scientific storytelling, Johnson shows exactly how powerfully evolution can illuminate and transform a remarkably wide range of human concerns, disciplines and domains. An invaluable resource for students, teachers, and anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the human experience–past, present and future.
 — B. Natterson-Horowitz, MD, Harvard Medical School
Darwin’s Reach is an intellectual tour de force that synthesizes findings about evolution from numerous fields and concretely shows how insights from pest management can help us manage invasive species as well as invasive cancers, antibiotic resistance, and much, much more. Norman Johnson is not only an eloquent tour guide who clearly unpacks complex evolutionary principles, experiments, and insights, but he’s also a public relations expert showing us how and why evolution matters to us all. This is a must read for anyone interested in evolutionary medicine, sustainable agriculture, the biodiversity crisis, and, more generally, in the intellectual challenges of applying scientific knowledge.
 — Daniel T. Blumstein, University of California Los Angeles
"… the manifold areas of applied evolutionary biology have not been comprehensively described until now. Norman A. Johnson, at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, has stepped up to the challenge…
Johnson starts with present-day issues, such as phage therapy, in which selection for phage resistance in pathogenic bacteria may reduce their resistance to antibiotics providing an opportunity to introduce natural selection and costs of adaptation. The chapter "Going Viral" treats viral epidemics, focusing on the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic and illustrating the use of phylogenetic inference in tracing the spread of such epidemics….
Johnson has done a real service in his well- researched (with about 900 literature citations) review of a very diverse, sprawling subject. He has written a fine book, a remarkably comprehensive survey of an important dimension of evolutionary biology. "
Douglas Futuyma in Evolution, 2023
"Johnson undertakes a wide variety of topics… including evolutionary medicine, pandemics like COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS, mosquito-borne diseases, personalized medicine, cancer, agriculture, biodiversity, and invasive species. He concludes with a few chapters on evolution and society, including genetic analysis in criminal investigations, warfare, and the non-existence of human biological races…I would not hesitate to suggest it as supplementary reading for interested undergraduates. It should provide useful insights for evolutionary biologists, geneticists and health professionals. "
 — Michael A. Goldman In Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, 2023.