Overview

This book is a ""Big History"" of the evidence regarding how we came to be. It briefly explores philosophical thought and how our past might affect our future. The text summarizes different perspectives, including the strengths and weaknesses of each. The genesis of our planet is explored, especially the circumstances that must exist for complex life to arise. This brief journey highlights the history of life, the emergence of simple lifeforms, and the evolution of complex creatures, including humans. The book concludes with a discussion of why other humanoids went extinct while our species achieved dominance. The author speculates on potentialities awaiting humankind and our planet. The first ""Big History"" written from the perspective of a biologist Summarizes multiple perspectives of history Documents the unique conditions for the emergence of life Speculates on the future Chapter 12 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com

Full Product Details

Author:   Steven J. Theroux
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   CRC Press
Weight:   0.644kg
ISBN:  

9781032218519

ISBN 10:   1032218517
Pages:   302
Publication Date:   26 July 2022
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Preface Introduction Perspective Matters, But Perspective Isn’t Everything – Envisioning Humankind’s Place in the Universe Part I: The Making of a Habitable World 1. In the Beginning – The Genesis of the Universe 2. The Life and Death of a Star 3. The Milky Way – A Goldilocks Galaxy 4. The Galactic Cradle 5. The Inimitable Earth Part II: The Emergence of Life From a Lifeless World 6. Let There Be Life - The Rise of the Prokaryotes 7. Evolution – The Generator of Life’s Diversity 8. The Birth of the Superkingdoms – Prokaryotes, Achaea, and Eukaryotes 9. Partnering Up – The Journey from Single Cell Eukaryotes to Multicellular Animals 10. The Blossoming of Terrestrial Life 11. The Emergence of Genus Homo – The Earth’s First Humans Come Into Being 12. The Genesis of Behaviorally Modern Homo sapiens – A Cognitively Advanced Human That Can Reflect Upon Its Existence 13. Peering into Life’s Future Epilogue

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Author Information

Steven J. Theroux was Professor and Chair of the Natural Sciences department at Assumption University in Massachusetts. He currently teaches Genetics and Biology of Cancer at Harvard University and Assumption University.

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