Publisher's Synopsis
Is evolution a slow, gradual process, or does it move in giant leaps and bounds? How should the fossil record be interpreted? What are the evolutionary - and ethical - implications of gene manipulation? How can evolution be observed and measured? These are among the questions addressed by this book as it traverses the aeons of the past.;After re-examining Darwin's ideas about natural selection, the author identifies and explains the turning-points of evolutionary history, resurrecting the bizarre but long-extinct creatures that once populated our planet. He also discusses the complex biological processes of change that make evolution possible, and probes the microscopic world of cells, genes and DNA.;Dr Whitfield's other books include "The Hunter", "Animal Families", "The Atlas of the Living World" and "The Atlas of Earth Mysteries".
