The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution
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Basing his account loosely on the form of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, popular science writer Dawkins (public understanding of science, Oxford U.) offers a broad look at human evolution, which incorporates recent developments in the discipline and his own provocative views. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR The Washington Post - James Trefil This is great stuff -- intriguingly written, honest about the controversies that exist, clear about the science. Dawkins does not dodge complexity where it is called for but keeps it to a minimum and winds up giving us as full and clear a picture of the way life developed on our planet as you are likely to find anywhere.
The Conceit of Hindsight1The General Prologue12The Pilgrimage Begins26The Farmer's Tale27The Cro-Magnon's Tale35Rendezvous 0All Humankind37The Tasmanian's Tale41Eve's Tale48Archaic Homo Sapiens62The Neanderthal's Tale64Ergasts66The Ergast's Tale71Habilines75The Handyman's Tale77Ape-Men86Little Foot's Tale90Epilogue to Little Foot's Tale95Rendezvous 1Chimpanzees100The Bonobo's Tale104Rendezvous 2Gorillas106The Gorilla's Tale108Rendezvous 3Orang Utans112The Orang Utan's Tale115Rendezvous 4Gibbons119The Gibbon's Tale123Rendezvous 5Old World Monkeys137Rendezvous 6New World Monkeys141The Howler Monkey's Tale145Rendezvous 7Tarsiers156Rendezvous 8Lemurs, Bushbabies and Their Kin160The Aye-Aye's Tale163The Great Cretaceous Catastrophe169Rendezvous 9Colugos and Tree Shrews174The Colugo's Tale177Rendezvous 10Rodents and Rabbitkind179The Mouse's Tale183The Beaver's Tale186Rendezvous 11Laurasiatheres192The Hippo's Tale196Epilogue to the Hippo's Tale202The Seal's Tale203Rendezvous 12Xenarthrans212The Armadillo's Tale212Rendezvous 13Afrotheres217Rendezvous 14Marsupials223The Marsupial Mole's Tale227Rendezvous 15Monotremes231The Duckbill's Tale235What the Star-Nosed Mole Said to the Duckbilled Platypus243Mammal-Like Reptiles247Rendezvous 16Sauropsids254Prologue to the Galapagos Finch's Tale257The Galapagos Finch's Tale260The Peacock's Tale263The Dodo's Tale273The Elephant Bird's Tale278Epilogue to the Elephant Bird's Tale287Rendezvous 17Amphibians293The Salamander's Tale299The Narrowmouth's Tale311The Axolotl's Tale313Rendezvous 18Lungfish320The Lungfish's Tale322Rendezvous 19Coelacanths325Rendezvous 20Ray-Finned Fish328The Leafy Sea Dragon's Tale330The Pike's Tale332The Mudskipper's Tale334The Cichlid's Tale336The Blind Cave Fish's Tale344The Flounder's Tale347Rendezvous 21Sharks and Their Kin349Rendezvous 22Lampreys and Hagfish354The Lamprey's Tale359Rendezvous 23Lancelets362The Lancelet's Tale364Rendezvous 24Sea Squirts367Rendezvous 25Ambulacrarians372Rendezvous 26Protostomes377The Ragworm's Tale386The Brine Shrimp's Tale390The Leaf Cutter's Tale395The Grasshopper's Tale397The Fruit Fly's Tale414The Rotifer's Tale424The Barnacle's Tale433The Velvet Worm's Tale436Epilogue to the Velvet Worm's Tale449Rendezvous 27Acoelomorph Flatworms458Rendezvous 28Cnidarians463The Jellyfish's Tale467The Polypifer's Tale469Rendezvous 29Ctenophores477Rendezvous 30Placozoans480Rendezvous 31Sponges483The Sponge's Tale486Rendezvous 32Choanoflagellates488The Choanoflagellate's Tale490Rendezvous 33Drips493Rendezvous 34Fungi497Rendezvous 35Amoebozoans502Rendezvous 36Plants506The Cauliflower's Tale510The Redwood's Tale514Rendezvous 37Uncertain524The Mixotrich's Tale529The Great Historic Rendezvous536Rendezvous 38Archaea540Rendezvous 39Eubacteria543The Rhizobium's Tale543Taq's Tale553Canterbury559The Host's Return582Further Reading617Notes to the Phylogenies619Bibliography624Illustration Credits643Index646
