Restless Creatures: The Story of Life in Ten Movements - Hardcover

Wilkinson, Matt

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0465065724 ISBN 13: 9780465065721

Publisher: Basic Books, 2016

Synopsis

Most of us never think about how we get from one place to another. For most people, putting one foot in front of the other requires no thought at all. Yet the fact that we and other species are able to do so is one of the great triumphs of evolution. To truly understand how life evolved on Earth, it is crucial to understand movement. Restless Creatures makes the bold new argument that the true story of evolution is the story of locomotion, from the first stirrings of bacteria to the amazing feats of Olympic athletes. By retracing the four-billion-year history of locomotion, evolutionary biologist Matt Wilkinson shows how the physical challenges of moving from place to place,when coupled with the implacable logic of natural selection,offer a uniquely powerful means of illuminating the living world. Whales and dolphins look like fish because they have been moulded by the constraints of underwater locomotion. The unbending physical needs of flight have brought bats, birds, and pterodactyls to strikingly similar anatomies. Movement explains why we have opposable thumbs, why moving can make us feel good, how fish fins became limbs, and even why,classic fiction notwithstanding,there are no flying monkeys nor animals with wheels. Even plants aren't immune from locomotion's long reach: their seeds, pollen, and very form are all determined by their aptitude to disperse. From sprinting cheetah to spinning maple fruit, soaring albatross to burrowing worm, crawling amoeba to running human,all are the way they are because of how they move. There is a famous saying: nothing in biology makes sense unless in the light of evolution." As Wilkinson makes clear: little makes sense unless in the light of locomotion. A powerful yet accessible work of evolutionary biology, Restless Creatures is the essential guide for understanding how life on Earth was shaped by the simple need to move from point A to point B.

About this title

About the Author

Matt Wilkinson is passionate about food in season, farmers' markets, and local producers. As the former head chef at the award-winning Circa the Prince, Wilkinson helped usher in an era of organics and gardento- kitchen rustic fine dining. He now co-owns and runs Pope Joan and the neighboring market Hams and Bacon in Melbourne, both of which have cult followings for their fresh, seasonal food. He is also the coowner and chef of a franchise of 11 Spudbar slow-food, fast-food shops in Australia, which feature healthy and delicious topped baked potatoes and salads. His first cookbook, Mr. Wilkinson's Vegetables, won the IACP cookbook award for design and has sold more than 100,000 copies worldwide in nine languages. He lives in Melbourne, Australia. For current news, visit mrwilkinsons.com.au.

From the Back Cover

Most of us never think about how we get from one place to another. For most people, putting one foot in front of the other requires no thought at all. Yet the fact that we and other species are able to do so is one of the great triumphs of evolution. To truly understand how life evolved on Earth, it is crucial to understand movement. "Restless Creatures" makes the bold new argument that the true story of evolution is the story of locomotion, from the first stirrings of bacteria to the amazing feats of Olympic athletes.
By retracing the four-billion-year history of locomotion, evolutionary biologist Matt Wilkinson shows how the physical challenges of moving from place to placewhen coupled with the implacable logic of natural selectionoffer a uniquely powerful means of illuminating the living world. Whales and dolphins look like fish because they have been molded by the constraints of underwater locomotion. The unbending physical needs of flight have brought bats, birds, and pterodactyls to strikingly similar anatomies. Movement explains why we have opposable thumbs, why moving can make us feel good, how fish fins became limbs, and even whyclassic fiction notwithstandingthere are no flying monkeys nor animals with wheels. Even plants aren t immune from locomotion s long reach: their seeds, pollen, and very form are all determined by their aptitude to disperse.
From sprinting cheetah to spinning maple fruit, soaring albatross to burrowing worm, crawling amoeba to running humanall are the way they are because of how they move. There is a famous saying: nothing in biology makes sense unless in the light of evolution. As Wilkinson makes clear: little makes sense unless in the light of locomotion. A powerful yet accessible work of evolutionary biology, "Restless Creatures" is the essential guide for understanding how life on Earth was shaped by the simple need to move from point A to point B.
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From the Inside Flap

Most of us never think about how we get from one place to another. For most people, putting one foot in front of the other requires no thought at all. Yet the fact that we and other species are able to do so is one of the great triumphs of evolution. To truly understand how life evolved on Earth, it is crucial to understand movement. Restless Creatures makes the bold new argument that the true story of evolution is the story of locomotion, from the first stirrings of bacteria to the amazing feats of Olympic athletes.

By retracing the four-billion-year history of locomotion, evolutionary biologist Matt Wilkinson shows how the physical challenges of moving from place to placewhen coupled with the implacable logic of natural selectionoffer a uniquely powerful means of illuminating the living world. Whales and dolphins look like fish because they have been molded by the constraints of underwater locomotion. The unbending physical needs of flight have brought bats, birds, and pterodactyls to strikingly similar anatomies. Movement explains why we have opposable thumbs, why moving can make us feel good, how fish fins became limbs, and even whyclassic fiction notwithstandingthere are no flying monkeys nor animals with wheels. Even plants aren t immune from locomotion s long reach: their seeds, pollen, and very form are all determined by their aptitude to disperse.

From sprinting cheetah to spinning maple fruit, soaring albatross to burrowing worm, crawling amoeba to running humanall are the way they are because of how they move. There is a famous saying: nothing in biology makes sense unless in the light of evolution. As Wilkinson makes clear: little makes sense unless in the light of locomotion. A powerful yet accessible work of evolutionary biology,Restless Creatures is the essential guide for understanding how life on Earth was shaped by the simple need to move from point A to point B.

Edition details

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0465065724
• ISBN 13: 9780465065721
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320