The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication Volume 2 (Cambridge Library Collection - Darwin, Evolution and Genetics) - Softcover

Darwin, Charles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1108014232 ISBN 13: 9781108014236

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2010

Synopsis

Charles Darwin (1809–1882) first published this work in 1868 in two volumes. The book began as an expansion of the first two chapters of On the Origin of Species: 'Variation under Domestication' and 'Variation under Nature' and it developed into one of his largest works; Darwin referred to it as his 'big book'. In volume 2, concerned with how species inherit particular characteristics, Darwin first published his 'provisional hypothesis' of pangenesis. This theory of 'gemmules' was not met with much acceptance and today is not valuable as scientific explanation, but it was important in laying down the key questions that needed to be answered regarding the processes of genetic inheritance. Darwin also used volume 2 to challenge the theories of evolution by design, expounded by the botanist Asa Gray. Darwin's arguments were some of the very first in a long debate that remains hot today.

About this title

Book Description

The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication (1868), Volume 2, is concerned with how species inherit particular characteristics. Here Darwin unpacked his 'provisional hypothesis' of pangenesis and defended his theories of natural selection against those of evolution by design: the first arguments in a long debate still hot today.

About the Author

Charles Darwin was an English naturalist and author best-known for his revolutionary theories on the origin of species, human evolution, and natural selection. A life-long interest in the natural world led Darwin to neglect his medical studies and instead embark on a five-year scientific voyage on the HMS Beagle, where he established his reputation as a geologist and gathered much of the evidence that fuelled his later theories.A prolific writer, Darwin s most famous published works include The Voyage of the Beagle, On the Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, and The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals. Darwin died in 1882, and in recognition of his contributions to science, is buried in Westminster Abbey along with John Herschel and Isaac Newton.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1108014232
• ISBN 13: 9781108014236
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 500