1. Introduction: dimensions of linguistic diversity
Stephen R. Anderson
in Languages: A Very Short Introduction
By itself, the question ‘How many languages are there in the world? ’ seems quite a trivial one, the sort to which there ought to be a quite simple answer without much intrinsic interest. ...
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8. Darwinism and ideology
Jonathan Howard
in Darwin: A Very Short Introduction
‘Darwinism and ideology’ considers the extraction of absolute ethical principles from the theory of evolution in post-Darwinian thought in areas such as Social Darwinism, sociobiology, and ...
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7. Human teeth and their history
Peter S. Ungar
in Teeth: A Very Short Introduction
Why do humans have such widespread dental disease and orthodontic disorders compared with other species? ‘Human teeth and their history’ shows that the answer is rooted in our evolutionary ...
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Introduction
Robin Le Poidevin
in Agnosticism: A Very Short Introduction
Agnosticism: A Very Short Introduction considers anti-agnostic attitudes and asks: if we can't establish God's existence, shouldn't there be a presumption of atheism? The ...
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1. Introduction
Brian Charlesworth and Deborah Charlesworth
in Evolution: A Very Short Introduction
The ‘Introduction’ identifies the purpose of this book—to introduce the general reader to some of the most important basic findings, concepts, and procedures of evolutionary biology. ...
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7. Perfection and progress
Jonathan Howard
in Darwin: A Very Short Introduction
‘Perfection and progress’ considers Darwin's response to the idealisations of perfection and progress, which represented two opposed justificatory principles. Perfection and progress were ...
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2. Making better eyes
Michael Land
in The Eye: A Very Short Introduction
‘Making better eyes’ explores some of the difficulties associated with making versatile high-resolution eyes, and how these problems have been overcome. Advanced eyes need to produce a well ...
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1. Ritualization
Barry Stephenson
in Ritual: A Very Short Introduction
‘Ritualization’ considers one of the cornerstones of ritual studies—ritualization. It begins with ethology, the study of animal behaviour and goes on to discuss ritualization theory and how ...
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5. 1840
Jamie Woodward
in The Ice Age: A Very Short Introduction
‘1840’ describes the remarkable year when Louis Agassiz came to England to publicise his glacial theory. With new converts, William Buckland and Charles Lyell, Agassiz presented papers on ...
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1. Darwin's life
Jonathan Howard
in Darwin: A Very Short Introduction
‘Darwin's life’ details the life of Charles Darwin (1809–1882), using the wealth of biographical material available. Through his five-year circumnavigation of the globe on HMS Beagle that ...
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2. The foundations of Darwinism
Jonathan Howard
in Darwin: A Very Short Introduction
‘The foundations of Darwinism’ introduces the three fundamental conceptions — that of a species, of adaptation, and of evolution itself — that were fused in Darwin's theory of biological ...
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6. Chelonians
T. S. Kemp
in Reptiles: A Very Short Introduction
Chelonians are the tortoises, terrapins, and turtles, with the single most characteristic feature being the shell, made up of a small number of very large scales, immovably joined to one ...
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1. Introduction
Keith Thomson
in Fossils: A Very Short Introduction
The ‘Introduction’ outlines the aims of the book: to show what fossils are, to explain some of the concepts and principles upon which the study of fossils is based, and to discuss the ...
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3. Mobilize and survive: the Republic at war
Helen Graham
in The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction
The Republic quickly tried to mobilize domestic resources after the uprising in July 1936. International help was not forthcoming with the Non-Intervention Treaty of August 1936. ‘Mobilize ...
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1. Teeth matter
Peter S. Ungar
in Teeth: A Very Short Introduction
‘Teeth matter’ considers how teeth can help us understand ecology and paleontology. An organism eats its neighbour for the fuel and raw materials needed to grow, sustain itself, and ...
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8. Endless forms
Peter S. Ungar
in Teeth: A Very Short Introduction
Living things must constantly adapt and change to survive when pitted against ever-evolving opposing organisms and an ever-changing world. And teeth must constantly adapt and change along ...
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8. Deuterostomes I: starfish, sea squirts, and amphioxus
Peter Holland
in The Animal Kingdom: A Very Short Introduction
‘Deuterostomes I: starfish, sea squirts, and amphioxus’ is concerned with some of the phyla of the Deuterostomia superphylum — the Echinodermata, Hemichordata, and the Chordata subphyla ...
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10. Genius and us
Andrew Robinson
in Genius: A Very Short Introduction
‘Genius and us’ shows that in the early 21st century, talent appears to be on the increase, genius on the decrease. Where is the Darwin or the Einstein, the Mozart or the Beethoven, the ...
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7. Panic disorder
Daniel Freeman and Jason Freeman
in Anxiety: A Very Short Introduction
Panic is a common feature of all anxiety disorders, and other psychological problems too, but it takes centre stage in panic disorder where a person experiences recurrent, unexpected panic ...
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3. Origins of life and environment
David C. Catling
in Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction
‘Origins of life and environment’ explains that quite how life arose is unknown. It may have originated on Earth or it may have been carried here by space dust or meteorites, but there is ...
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