Biology's First Law: The Tendency for Diversity and Complexity to Increase in Evolutionary Systems

by Robert N. Brandon, Daniel W. McShea, Robert N Brandon

Life on earth is characterized by three striking phenomena that demand explanation: adaptation--the marvelous fit between organism and environment; diversity--the great variety of organisms; and complexity--the enormous intricacy of their internal structure. Natural selection explains adaptation. But what explains diversity and complexity? Daniel W. McShea and Robert N. Brandon argue that there exists in evolution a spontaneous tendency toward...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226562263
• ISBN13: 9780226562261
• Release Date: July 2010
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.3" x 8.9"