Darwin's Reach
21st Century Applications of Evolutionary Biology
Norman A. Johnson(Author)
CRC Press
2nd Edition
Will be published approx. on 21. August 2026
Book
Hardback
366 pages
978-1-032-88545-2 (ISBN)
Description
The application of evolutionary biology addresses a wide range of practical problems in medicine, agriculture, the environment, and society. Such cutting-edge applications are emerging due to recent advances in DNA sequencing, new gene editing tools, and computational methods. This book is about applied evolution - the application of the principles of and information about evolutionary biology to diverse practical matters. Although applied evolution has existed, unrecognized, for a very long time, today's version has a much wider scope. Evolutionary medicine has formed into its own discipline. Evolutionary approaches have long been employed in agriculture and in conservation biology. But Darwin's reach now extends beyond just these three fields. It now also includes forensic biology and the law. Ideas from evolutionary biology can be used to inform policy regarding foreign affairs and national security. Applied evolution is not only interdisciplinary, but also multidisciplinary. Consequently, this book is for experts in one field who are interested in expanding their evolutionary horizons. It is also for students, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. One of the public relations challenges faced by evolutionary biology is that most people do not see it being all that relevant to their daily lives. Even many who accept evolution do not grasp how far Darwin's reach extends. Darwin's Reach will change that perception. All the chapters have been updated and thoroughly revised. In addition, two entirely new chapters have been added to the food section; one on meat and another on cheese.
More details
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
General, Postgraduate, Professional Practice & Development, Professional Reference, and Undergraduate Advanced
Illustrations
9 s/w Abbildungen, 26 farbige Abbildungen, 20 Farbfotos bzw. farbige Rasterbilder, 9 s/w Zeichnungen, 6 farbige Zeichnungen, 35 s/w Tabellen
35 Tables, black and white; 6 Line drawings, color; 9 Line drawings, black and white; 20 Halftones, color; 26 Illustrations, color; 9 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
Weight
453 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-032-88545-2 (9781032885452)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
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Person
Norman A. Johnson, Ph.D., is an evolutionary geneticist, who received his B.S. from William and Mary (1987) and a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester (1992). His doctoral thesis was on the genetics of hybrid sterility between different species of Drosophila. He was a postdoctoral fellow with Michael Wade on quantitative genetics of hybrid traits between species of Tribolium flour beetles at the University of Chicago. Johnson teaches classes in genetics and/or evolution. Most of his research has been on the genetics and evolution of why hybrids between species are often sterile or inviable. Other research interests include the evolution of sex chromosomes, the evolution of extremely large dietary niches in insects, and the interplay between the relaxation of selection and the loss of traits. He wrote Darwinian Detectives: Revealing the Natural History of Genes and Genomes, published in 2007. Johnson was the lead organizer for a working group at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (in Durham, NC) on Communicating the Relevance of Human Evolution. One of the outcomes was a paper for The American Biology Teacher journal that addresses the question, "if humans evolved from chimps, why are there still chimps?" Johnson was the section editor for the Applied Evolution section of the Encyclopedia of Evolution. He wrote three of the entries (overview of evolutionary medicine and cancer, pest management, and evolution and breeding) and commissioned a dozen other entries in subjects ranging from evolution and climate change response to evolutionary computation to evolution and national security.
Content
Introduction
1: Paging Dr. Darwin
2. Going Viral
3. Vectors of Disease
4. Mismatch
5. Personalized medicine
6. Cancer
7. Human life history
8. Darwin at the farm (evolution and agricultural crops)
9. Managing resistance
10. Buccaneers of Buzz ( Bees)
11. Darwinian meat
12. Blessed are the cheesemakers (fermented foods)
13 Biodiversity crisis (previously 11)
14. Challenges in the oceans (previously 12)
15. Challenges in the city (urban ecology and evolution) (previously 13)
16. Challenges from invasive species (previously 14)
17. The sequence on the stand (evolution and forensic science) (previously 15)
18. Darwinian security (previously 16)
19. Human genetic variation and the non-existence of races (previously 17)
1: Paging Dr. Darwin
2. Going Viral
3. Vectors of Disease
4. Mismatch
5. Personalized medicine
6. Cancer
7. Human life history
8. Darwin at the farm (evolution and agricultural crops)
9. Managing resistance
10. Buccaneers of Buzz ( Bees)
11. Darwinian meat
12. Blessed are the cheesemakers (fermented foods)
13 Biodiversity crisis (previously 11)
14. Challenges in the oceans (previously 12)
15. Challenges in the city (urban ecology and evolution) (previously 13)
16. Challenges from invasive species (previously 14)
17. The sequence on the stand (evolution and forensic science) (previously 15)
18. Darwinian security (previously 16)
19. Human genetic variation and the non-existence of races (previously 17)