Quirks of Human Anatomy: An Evo-Devo Look at the Human Body |  | Author: Lewis I. Held Jr
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $34.99
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Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 347665
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.9 x 7 x 0.7
ISBN: 0521732336
Dewey Decimal Number: 612.64
EAN: 9780521732338
ASIN: 0521732336
Publication Date: May 29, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
With the emergence of the new field of evolutionary developmental biology we are witnessing a renaissance of Darwin's insights 150 years after his Origin of Species. Thus far, the exciting findings from "evo-devo" have only been trickling into college courses and into the domain of non-specialists. With its focus on the human organism, Quirks of Human Anatomy opens the floodgates by stating the arguments of evo-devo in plain English, and by offering a cornucopia of interesting case studies and examples. Its didactic value is enhanced by 24 schematic diagrams that integrate a host of disparate observations, by its Socratic question-and-answer format, and by its unprecedented compilation of the literature. By framing the "hows" of development in terms of the "whys" of evolution, it lets readers probe the deepest questions of biology. Readers will find the book not only educational but also enjoyable, as it revels in the fun of scientific exploration.
Book Description
Ever since the Middle Ages, anatomy has been a clinical subject. Now, the new field of evolutionary developmental biology is showing how body parts are encoded genetically and how they arose evolutionarily. "Evo-devo" uses our genome as a Rosetta Stone to decipher our past. Quirks of Human Anatomy takes the reader back to a time when there were no males or females, no arms and legs as we know them, and only rudimentary eyes. From that perspective our anatomical flaws make sense as the quirky outcomes of our peculiar history.
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| Customer Reviews:
life's little quirks March 7, 2010
Barry R. Davis (Houston, TX USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Held does an excellent job of exploring and explaining some quirks of human anatomy. Through a series of interesting and provocative questions, he examines human development and evolution in an entertaining and didactic but rigorous way. Using the coined term "bislagiatt," an acronym for "but it seemed like a good idea at the time", and an array of fascinating diagrams with detailed explanations, the author sets out to show how the current discipline of evolutionary development, or evo-devo, can address some of the most fundamental aspects of human form, growth, and development. Questions such as why some parts of our anatomy are symmetric and others are not, why are arms different from legs, why men and women have different size and shapes, and why some of our structures seem ill-equipped for certain tasks, provide the basis for covering much of what is known about evolution, genetics, and development. "Quirks of Human Anatomy" would be quite useful as additional reading for any course on evolution or development. It also stands alone as a very worthwhile, very enjoyable scientific book.
Useful clue towards the plausibly useful meanings one might attribute to existence. November 21, 2009
Brian Jordan (Boston, MA USA)
1 out of 17 found this review helpful
A curious book, belying Lewis I. Held's curious investigation.
His addition of footnotes helped the text bely less fallacious understanding.
Plausibly meaningful. I found more meaning after using it.
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