Extending the Evolutionary Synthesis: Darwin’s Legacy Redesigned

by Axel Lange (Author) 

The theory of evolution is itself evolving with new findings and changes in the fundamental underlying concepts. It is true that today's synthetic theory, which goes back to Darwin, is persistently successful. However, it offers no convincing explanation to many questions, some examples of which are as follows: What forms of inheritance exist besides genetics; how complex variations, especially evolutionary innovations such as bird feathers and turtle shells, arise; how the environment affects the evolution of species and is changed by them simultaneously; and why the evolution of birds, corals, and human culture is not explainable by natural selection alone.

Scientific findings of the last decades require continuous rethinking and integration of new data and concepts into the theory of evolution. This comprehensibly written and excellently researched book provides exciting new insights into the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis using fascinating new examples from evolutionary biology.

Key Features

• Comprehensively explains the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis
• Understandably written for a broad audience
• Includes interviews with world-leading evolutionary biologists
• Reviews the historical development of evolutionary theory with explanations of open, unanswered questions
• Explains the new concepts with powerful illustrations