Preface
1 Trial and Error
The dawn of science
The Middle Ages
Revival of learning
Empirical science emerges
2 Revolutions and Revolutionaries
Early astronomy
The Copernican revolution
The Newtonian revolution
3 Time and Tide
The Christian era
The fossil enigma
Cosmic evolution
Geology comes of age
A new perspective
4 Fauna and Flora
Biology before the scientific revolution
Biology of the scientific revolution
Evolution
5 Parents and Offspring
Hereditary mechanisms
Population genetics
Neo-Darwinism
6 Nuts and Bolts
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Gene expression
Proteins
Evolution: the modern synthesis
7 Chance and Necessity
The improbability of biological macromolecules
Current theories of protein evolution
Failings of current theories
The evolution of macromolecules
8 Chance and Complexity
DNA replication
Transcription
Biosynthetic pathways
Biological machines
Complexity
9 Variation and Variability
Adaptation and speciation
Evolution is a multi-step process
Evolution within limits
10 Gaps and Gradations
The missing records
Patterns in the fossil record
Explaining the facts
11 New Wine and Old Wineskins
Morphogenesis
Quantum biology
12 Homology and Phylogeny
Recapitulation
Cladistics
13 Chicken and Egg
Primitive macromolecules
The genetic code
Early enzymes
Eukaryotes from prokaryotes
14 Sense and Sensibility
The scientific method
The paradigm of evolution
A view from outside the paradigm
15 Pride and Prejudice
The modern scientific world-view
Design
Objections to design
Appendix 1: Stratigraphical column
Appendix 2: Classification of animals
References
Index
David Swift graduated in Natural Sciences from St John's College, Cambridge in 1974 and subsequently obtained an MSc in Water Resources Technology from the University of Birmingham. His research has encompassed many aspects of the hydrological cycle, and he lectures on a range of environmental concerns.
© Leighton Academic Press