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June 2000
6 x 9, 356 pp., 122 illus.
$34.00/£25.95 (PAPER)
Short

ISBN-10:
0-262-63197-0
ISBN-13:
978-0-262-63197-6

Other Editions
Cloth (2000)
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Environmental Evolution, 2nd Edition
Effects of the Origin and Evolution of Life on Planet Earth
Edited by Lynn Margulis, Clifford Matthews and Aaron Haselton

In this book fifteen distinguished scientists discuss the effects of life—past and present—on planet Earth. Unlike other earth science and biology books, Environmental Evolution describes the impact of life on the Earth's rocky surfaces presenting an integrated view of how our planet evolved. Modeled on the Environmental Evolution course developed by Lynn Margulis and colleagues, it provides a unique synthesis of atmospheric, biological, and geological hypotheses that explain the present condition of the biosphere. The book develops scientific concepts essential to the reconstruction of the intertwined history of Earth's air, rocks, water, and life.

After an introduction by James E. Lovelock on Gaia theory, the material proceeds in roughly chronological order from the origin of life in the early Archean Eon to the emergence of new environmental diseases in today's industrialized world. The second edition has been thoroughly revised, with more comprehensive chapters, additional illustrations, and new references.

Contributors:
Elso S. Barghoorn, Robert Buchsbaum, David Deamer, Stjepko Golubic, Jonathan King, Antonio Lazcano, James E. Lovelock, Lynn Margulis, Clifford Matthews, Michael McElroy, Mark McMenamin, Raymond Siever, Paul Strother, Tony Swain, Neil Todd.

About the Editors

Lynn Margulis, Distinguished Professor of Botany at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, is the modern originator of the symbiotic theory of cell evolution. Once considered heresy, her ideas are now part of the microbiological revolution.


Endorsements

"This remarkable small volume gives the fortunate reader a summary introduction to the intellectual history and recent research developments concerning the origins of life on planet Earth as well as the origins of Earth itself."
National Geographic Research & Exploration

Praise for the first edition ". . . clearly written, well illustrated and a pleasure to read."
Quarterly Review of Biology





See Other Titles In:
Biology and Medicine
 Evolutionary Biology
Environmental Studies and Nature
 Environmental Science
Physical and Earth Sciences
 Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
 General
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 General Science
 
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