The most accessible edition ever published of Darwinas incendiary classic, edited by aas fine a science essayist as we havea ("New York Times")
"The Descent of Man," Darwinas second landmark work on evolutionary theory (following "The Origin of the Species"), marked a turning point in the history of science with its modern vision of human nature as the product of evolution. Darwin argued that the noblest features of humans, such as language and morality, were the result of the same natural processes that produced iris petals and scorpion tails.
To convey the revolutionary importance of this groundbreaking book, renowned evolutionary science writer Carl Zimmer edited this special abridged editionamade up of nine excerpts, each one representing one of Darwinas major themesaand wrote illuminating introductions to each section, as well as an overall introduction. Zimmer brilliantly places Darwinas basic ideas in the context of the current understanding of human nature and twenty-first-century DNA research. By accessibly presenting Darwinas thinking to a modern readership, Zimmer eloquently demonstrates Darwinas ever-increasing relevance and amazing scientific insight.

ISBN-13: 9780452288881 ISBN-10: 0452288886 Publisher: Plume Books Publish Date: November 2007 Page Count: 448 Related Categories Books > Science > Life Sciences - Evolution