Cells to Civilizations (ebook)

Argumento de Cells to Civilizations (ebook)

"Do not be daunted by the scope of the book, which is written for a wide audience, although it contains enough science for biologists and anthropologists to ponder and argue with Coen. For the rest, it is an easy read, particularly as the biology it contains is peppered with vignettes drawn from painting and art history, which act as a guide for the more dry science that forms the meat of the argument."--Alfonso Martinez Arias, Development Journal

"[Coen's] prose is every bit as good as Richard Dawkins' or Steve Jones', and his rich illustrations, particularly the way he uses classical and modern art to make his points, refreshes the text and keeps one's focus on the arguments. His clever ideas and engaging and creative writing style suggest that he would make a fascinating dinner companion. I loved this book and will put it on the general reading list for our biology undergraduates. I suspect it will also find resonance with the interested layman."--Charalambos P. Kyriacou, Times Higher Education

"Clearly written . . . intriguing, thought-provoking."--Library Journal

"The ideas [in Cells to Civilizations] are subtle, possibly significant, and slightly unsettling. What more could a reader wish for?"--Robert Schaefer, New York Journal of Books

"[Cells to Civilizations] was thought provoking, informative, and fun to read."--Choice

Shortlisted for the 2013 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books

"In Cells to Civilization, [Coen] couples his knowledge of genetics with metaphor and art, likening the unfurling of mutant snapdragon flowers to an artist's brushstrokes on an expanding canvas. . . . The book is packed with fascinating facts. . . . [H]uman cultures and minds are among the most complex information systems in nature, and Coen does a good job of reminding us of their roots in evolution."--John Hawks, New Scientist

"Cells to Civilizations explores the extraordinary transformations that are the basis of life. Simple cells evolve into complex animals. Single cells develop into a human being. Newborns learn how to behave in society. Societies create cultural institutions. Coen shows that a small number of principles applies to all these transformations. This book provided me with a real feeling for the unity of life. It gave me a glimpse of that mysterious and awesome circle through which evolution generates not only life, but also self-understanding."--Chris Frith, emeritus professor, University College London

"This is a charming, clever, and thought-provoking book. With examples and metaphors, the book advances the idea that the same basic principles operate in evolution, development, learning, and culture."--Stephen C. Stearns, Yale University

"This attractive book presents a unified account of the emergence of living organisms and seeks common principles across different levels--from the cell to human culture. The clarity of writing and the use of analogies and works of art to illustrate points will make it valuable to both general readers and specialists. The breadth of this book is unmatched."--Michael Corballis, University of Auckland

"Cells to Civilizations is a very approachable and thought-provoking reading for everyone involved in education and science."--Monika Biro, American Biology Teacher

"Coen's book is ambitious and stimulating. . . . Cells to Civilizations is good material for conversation and a worthwhile read."--Deniz Erezyilmaz, truthdig.com

"Cells to Civilizations is an intelligent and entertaining book by a distinguished biologist."--Robert C. Richardson, BioScience

"This attempt at a grand theoretical synthesis within biology explores the transformative powers and creative forces that have brought about the living world from the first cells to the latest developments in cultural and technological evolution. . . . [Coen's] eloquently written book offers a programmatic synthesis and an empirically grounded proposal for a theory of biology. . . . Cells to Civilizations will stimulate many productive discussions about the origins and development of life in all its complexities."--Manfred D. Laubichler, Science

"What are the connections between evolving microbes, an egg that develops into an infant, a child who learns to walk, and the rise of Ancient Rome? For many years, scientists have generally thought these great transformations--evolution, development, learning, and cultural change--occurred through different mechanisms. But geneticist Enrico Coen, in his pioneering new book Cells to Civilization, reveals that these transformations revolve around shared core principles and manifest the same fundamental recipe. Coen blends provocative discussion, the latest scientific research, and colourful examples to demonstrate the links between these critical stages in the history of life."--Chemicals & Chemistry0INTRODUCTION: A RECIPE FOR CHANGE 1
History and Form 3
Life?s Creative Recipe 8

CHAPTER ONE: LOOPS AND LOTTERIES 13
Principle of Population Variation 16
Principle of Persistence 20
Principle of Reinforcement 23
Principle of Competition 24
Combining Principles 29

CHAPTER TWO: FROM GENES TO ECOSYSTEMS 34
Principle of Cooperation 36
Principle of Combinatorial Richness 40
Wandering Clouds 44
Principle of Recurrence 48
The Origin of Species 52
Species and Ecosystems 57
A Recipe for Evolution 58

CHAPTER THREE: CONVERSATIONS OF AN EMBRYO 61
Turing?s Principles 63
Patterning a Cell 68
Switching Genes On and Off 70
A Molecular Fight 73
Looking into Gradients 76
A Common Form 80

CHAPTER FOUR: COMPLETING THE PICTURE 84
An Embryonic Cocktail Party 85
A Cooperative Eff ort 87
Regulatory Riches 88
Building on the Past 90
The Expanding Canvas 93
Deformation 97
The Three-Dimensional Canvas 105
A Common Recipe 108

CHAPTER FIVE: HISTORY IN THE MAKING 111
Unicellular Beginnings 114
Moving up a Scale 115
Zooming and Growing 118
A Recipe within a Recipe 120

CHAPTER SIX: HUMBLE RESPONSES 122
Making Adjustments 124
Flora?s Story 127
The Bite of Venus 132
The Sensible Sea Slug 135
Patterns in Time 140
Human Responses 143
Carving up the World 147

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE NEURAL SIBYL 150
The Prophetic Dog 152
Predictive Neurons 155
Learning from Discrepancies 157
Pavlov and Punishments 163
Core Principles 164
A Neural Journey 168
Staying on the Move 169
A Recipe for Learning 173

CHAPTER EIGHT: LEARNING THROUGH ACTION 175
Calibration 176
Jumping Eyes 178
Visual Shifts 181
Learning to Calibrate 184
Action-Learning Loops 187
Smooth Movements 188
An Active Journey 193
Learning with Others 197

CHAPTER NINE: SEEING AS 200
The Neural Eye 204
Multiple Eyes 208
Seeing through Models 211
Learning at Many Levels 213
Top-down and Bottom-up 216
Competing Interpretations 217
A Question of Style 220
Creative Acts 228

CHAPTER TEN: FRAMING RECIPES 232
Development of Learning 233
Basic Instincts 237
Flexibility versus Directness 242

CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE CRUCIBLE OF CULTURE 244
The Apprentice 245
Fruitful Populations 248
Lasting Change 250
Cultural Reinforcement 252
The Force of Competition 254
Cooperative Eff orts 255
A Cultural Mix 257
Propelled by the Past 260
A Cultural Recipe 263

CHAPTER TWELVE: THE GRAND CYCLE 266
Cultural Origins 267
Possible Worlds 270
Nature?s Self-Portrait 275

Acknowledgments 281
Notes 283
References 299
Illustration Credits 307
Index 313