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Presents a history of the past two centuries of biology, and covers the early evolutionary biologists such as Lamarck, Cuvier, Darwin, Wallace etc, through Mayr and the neo-Darwinian synthesis. What is novel about Sapp's account is a real integration of the cytological tradition, from Schwann, Boveri, and the other early cell biologists and embryologists, and the coverage of symbiosis, microbial evolutionary phylogenies, and the new understanding of the diversification of life coming from comparative analyses of complete microbial genomes.
Acknowledgements
Preface
Part I
1. Evolution and Revolution
2. The Origin
3. Darwin's Champions
4. Darwinism and Socio-political Thought
5. Mutualism
6. Dissent from Darwin
Part II
7. The Myth of Cell Theory
8. The Body Politic
9. Evolving Embryology
10. The Egg
Part III
11. Mendel Redux
12. Emerging Genetics
13. Darwinian Renaissance
14. Genes, Germs, and Enzymes
15. Genetic Heresy
Part IV
16. Conceiving a Master Molecule
17. Beyond the Genome
18. Molecular Evolution and Microbial Phylogeny
19. Symbiomics
20. The Evolution of Relationships
Epilogue
Notes
"This work is an inspired and well-informed history of the logic of biology, giving us penetrating detail of all the major advances and controversies. Be it evolution, cell or molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, ontogeny, symbiosis or the limning of the organism, the meaty stuff of argument is offered in historical context. Taking account of social, political and ideological movements, and the role of singular personalities, we are also offered a logic of the history. "
– Joshua Lederberg, Professor emeritus, Rockefeller University, Nobel laureate
"Genesis is a masterwork and a milestone. Highly readable, broad and deep, it is by far the best introduction to the history of the theories of evolution ever written. Impeccable in its scholarship, Jan Sapp's book is fully original and provides information and viewpoints to be found nowhere else in the literature. There is nothing like it."
– Camille Limoges, author of La Selection Naturelle, and co-editor of Historical Studies in History of Biology
"This volume is a highly readable, broad, and deep introduction to the history of the theories of evolution [...] Sapp provides incisive details of all the major advances and controversies, be it in evolution, cell or molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, ontogeny, or symbiosis. [...] No doubt that biology and history of science students and teachers, as well as a well-read general audience, will enjoy reading this captivating book."
– Plant Systematics and Evolution
