Dimensions
130 x 198 x 22mm
Who said that life forms had to be complex? The simpler the organism, the less there is to go wrong. From an evolutionary standpoint, then, Mark Ridley asks, wouldn't we all have been better as microbes?
This book goes to the heart of post-Darwinian theory, examining the logic by which natural selection works. It looks at fundamental questions about life, such as why we have sex, gender, and a "Mendelian" genetic technology. It looks beyond science to the future of cloning and other gene technologies on Earth, and even the reproductive techniques of extraterrestrial and heavenly life forms. Awesome in its scope, this book challenges the evolutionary orthodoxy of many decades. More than this, though, it has profound implications for a future in which genetic technology - and life itself - looks set to change.