The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution

About this Title

The Tangled Bank is the first textbook about evolution intended for the general reader. Zimmer, an award-winning science writer, takes readers on a fascinating journey into the latest discoveries about evolution. In the Canadian Arctic, paleontologists unearth fossils documenting the move of our ancestors from sea to land. In the outback of Australia, a zoologist tracks some of the world's deadliest snakes to decipher the 100-million-year evolution of venom molecules. In Africa, geneticists are gathering DNA to probe the origin of our species. In clear, non-technical language, Zimmer explains the central concepts essential for understanding new advances in evolution, including natural selection, genetic drift, and sexual selection. He demonstrates how vital evolution is to all branches of modern biology—from the fight against deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria to the analysis of the human genome. Richly illustrated with 285 illustrations and photographs, The Tangled Bank is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the history of life on Earth.

About the Author

Carl Zimmer is one of the country's leading science writers. A regular contributor to the New York Times and magazines like Scientific American and Discover, he is the author of six books, including Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea and Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life. He has won numerous awards from institutions including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Institute of Biological Sciences. You can learn more at the author's website: www.carlzimmer.com.

About the Scientific Advisors

Carl Zimmer worked closely with four scientific advisors in the development of The Tangled Bank: Joel Kingsolver at the University of North Carolina, Kevin Padian at the University of California, Berkeley, Gregory Wray at Duke University, and Marlene Zuk at the University of California, Riverside.

Table of Contents

1. Evolution: An Introduction
2. From Natural Philosophy to Modern Biology
3. What the Rocks Say
4. The Tree of Life
5. Evolution’s Molecules
6. The Ways of Change: Mutation, Drift, and Selection
7. The History in our Genes
8. Adaptation: From Genes to Traits
9. The Origin of Species
10. Radiations and Extinctions: Biodiversity through the Ages
11. Intimate Partnerships: The Evolution of Friends and Enemies
12. Sex and Family
13. Evolutionary Medicine
14. Minds and Microbes: The Evolution of Behavior
Glossary
References
Photo and illustration credits
Acknowledgments
Index

Teaching Materials

For qualified instructors, we are pleased to offer all of the figures and photos in TIFF format for teaching purposes. Please contact the editor, Ben Roberts, at bwr@roberts-publishers.com for a link to download the images. We can also send a CD-ROM.

Praise

"The Tangled Bank is the best written and best illustrated introduction to evolution of the Darwin centennial decade, and also the most conversant with ongoing research. It is excellent for students, the general public, and even other biologists." —Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University, and author of Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge

"The best textbook I’ve seen for a non-majors introductory biology course about evolution.... The Tangled Bank is well-produced, up-to-date, readable, and exceptionally well illustrated. At no point does it falter." —Randy Moore, CBE—Life Sciences Education Book Review

"Spectacularly successful.” —QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY

"Zimmer describes the processes and patterns of evolution admirably, using his flair with language and substantial knowledge of biology—the latter aided by four scientific advisers, who have advised him well. Zimmer has a gift for finding just the right example to fascinate the reader, encouraging him or her to want to read on and learn more. The book is astoundingly well illustrated; it could serve as a coffee-table book as well as an up-to-date introduction to the changing ways in which evolution has been and is being studied. The inclusion of selected readings allows entry into the primary literature. A book to both browse and read in depth." —CHOICE (by B. K. Hall, Dalhousie University)

"With his prose and color diagrams by leading artists produced specially for this volume, The Tangled Bank will be a powerful tool to introduce students to the explanatory power of evolution and the way that it integrates different fields of knowledge." —Neil Shubin, Robert R. Bensley Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago, Provost of The Field Museum, and author of Your Inner Fish

"Carl Zimmer's excursion through the evolutionary epic is without equal. His gift for the scientific narrative is on full display through The Tangled Bank, and he leads his readers onward with an energy and delight that never disappoints. This marvelous text is an extraordinary introduction to the depth and richness of evolutionary science." —Kenneth R. Miller, Professor of Biology, Brown University, and author of Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul

"One rarely says of a textbook, 'I couldn't put it down," but that was how I felt reading Carl Zimmer's The Tangled Bank. Zimmer has applied his award-winning communication skills to produce a readable yet up-to-date and thorough treatment of evolutionary biology." —Eugenie C. Scott, Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, and author of Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction

"The book is remarkably up-to-date, seamlessly moving from discussion of fossils to genomes, and nicely illustrates that evolutionary biology is a vigorous field that increasingly takes an experimental approach." —Jonathan Losos, Harvard University, and author of Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree: Ecology and Adaptive Radiation of Anoles

"Carl Zimmer’s The Tangled Bank is a joy to read. He draws readers into the excitement of the rapidly expanding science of evolutionary biology, as he explains why life on earth is so diverse and how the web of life evolved to be so entangled. He explains, through elegant prose and beautiful illustrations, the remarkable progress that has been made in recent years in understanding the evolutionary process." —John N. Thompson, Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz