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Are we still evolving? Or has our mastery of the environment stopped natural selection in its tracks? In Children of Prometheus, biologist Christopher Wills gives a surprising answer: that the evolution of Homo sapiens is actually accelerating. To make this controversial case, Wills takes us to the far reaches of the planet. To the Tibetan plateau, where the severe climate has prompted rapid, short-term evolutionary change.
To Africa, where human-caused ecological upheaval continues to spawn ever more virulent strains of infectious diseases - diseases which in turn affect the evolutionary course of their hosts. To the hushed corridors of Whitehall, where job stress is taking some British civil servants to an early death. In each of these cases - and in the many others that Wills examines - our power over nature has done nothing to halt evolution's unrelenting march.
Spurred by a rapidly changing environment, and acting on our ever-expanding gene pool, natural selection will likely take us even deeper into uncharted territory. And Wills offers an exciting glimpse into this fascinating and frenetic future. What will become of our species as more and more of us wire our brains into vast electronic webs? Or pop "smart drugs" that alter the brain's very biochemical structure? Or adapt to bizarre conditions on extrasolar planets?
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Showing 6 featured editions. View all 6 editions?
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1
Children of Prometheus: The Accelerating Pace of Human Evolution
March 2001, Tandem Library
in English
0613245482 9780613245487
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2
Children of Prometheus: the accelerating pace of human evolution
2000, Penguin
in English
0140284532 9780140284539
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3
Children of Prometheus: The Accelerating Pace of Human Evolution
1999, Penguin Books, Limited
in English
0713993480 9780713993486
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4
Children of Prometheus : The Accelerating Pace of Human Evolution
1999, Recorded Books
Audio Cassette
in English
- Unabridged edition
0788735950 9780788735950
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5
Children of Prometheus: The Accelerating Pace of Human Evolution
October 1, 1999, Basic Books
Paperback
in English
0738201685 9780738201689
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6
Children of Prometheus: the accelerating pace of human evolution
1998, Perseus Books
in English
0738200034 9780738200033
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Book Details
First Sentence
"Ever since Darwin, pundits-expert and otherwise-have made pronouncements on whether human beings are still evolving and what might become of us in the future."
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Feedback?July 15, 2024 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
April 28, 2010 | Edited by Open Library Bot | Linked existing covers to the work. |
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