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Read * The Riddled Chain: Chance, Coincidence and Chaos in Human Evolution PDF by # Jeffrey Kevin McKee eBook or Kindle ePUB Online free. The Riddled Chain: Chance, Coincidence and Chaos in Human Evolution How we got bright enough to wonder how we got bright By choosing "The Riddled Chain" for his title, Prof. McKee may have meant to invoke both meanings of the R-word. First, the eons-long ascent of living things from isolated cells to hyper-cerebral humans was so riddled with the vagaries of chance, coincidence and chaos that a repeat experiment on a twin planet might stall at some low level, or branch in unimaginably strange ways, or fail completely. Second, the unlikely chain that did unfold on
| Title | : | The Riddled Chain: Chance, Coincidence and Chaos in Human Evolution |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.35 (818 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 081352783X |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 294 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-03-30 |
| Language | : | English |
The classic example of chaos is the butterfly effect: a single butterfly, flapping its wings, causes a tiny change in the atmosphere, which in turn amplifies to affect the course of storms on another continent. Had any link in the evolutionary chain of events been slightly different, then our species would not be as it is today or our ancestors may not have survived at all. With equal doses of humor and awe, McKee illustrates how the chain of evolution has been riddled by chance, coincidence, and chaos. He uses familiar examples, noting that many of us exist as individuals because of chance meetings of our parents. There was just a dim path cut out by prehistoric coincidences and contingencies. One can only conclud
How we got bright enough to wonder how we got bright By choosing "The Riddled Chain" for his title, Prof. McKee may have meant to invoke both meanings of the R-word. First, the eons-long ascent of living things from isolated cells to hyper-cerebral humans was so riddled with the vagaries of chance, coincidence and chaos that a repeat experiment on a twin planet might stall at some low level, or branch in unimaginably strange ways, or fail completely. Second, the unlikely chain that did unfold on Earth is still to some extent a mystery, a riddle waiting to be solved.Although McKee's informal style and frequent flashes of humor make for pleasant reading, the book also . An excellent overview of evolution theory Ken Dunlap "The Riddled Chain" is an excellent book for non-experts who wish to get an overall view of human evolution. I emphasize "human" because it does not go into any microbiology that might explain the evolution of first life. It does begin with the basic notions of human evolution; chance, chaos, and natural selection. McKee then devotes a large portion of the book to his own experiences in Africa digging, mostly fruitlessly, for early Hominids. Finally, he addresses some issues that evolution has, by his own admission, not addressed very well: such as the development of the human brain. In doing so he discusses autoca. "Good, but ultimately a little disappointing" according to Betty. I bought this book based on previous customer reviews and was partially disappointed. It is well-written and has a good summary of evidence from paleoanthropology and recent and current theories about human evolution. The author's emphasis on chance, coincidence, and choas in evolution is a good antidote for past speculations about environmental or other "causes" of human evolution; but ultimately I didn't find major new insights about the relation between chance and natural selection. And I was disappointed with the final chapter that speculates about future human evolution but focuses entirely on potential geneti
Whereas "the fossil record is littered with extinct primates that became too specialized," he writes, the ancestors of modern humans were broadly diversified, adapting to different niches and thriving in the bargain. Illustrating his argument with the well-worn "butterfly effect"--wherein a butterfly flapping its wings in Europe can produce a typhoon half a world away--McKee examines the role of chance in the origin and decline of species, emphasizing how unpredictable the dynamics of life can be, even within the bounds of natural laws. Early treatments of evolution presented our species' transformation from protohominid to Homo sapiens as an orderly affair, a matter of clear lineages and constant progress. --Gregory McNamee. Written well and at an appropriately general level, McKee's book offers a useful survey of curre
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