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The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History (1980)

by Stephen Jay Gould

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Reflections in Natural History (2)

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1,970177,571 (4.04)20
For better science students, this is a collection of 31 essays on natural history.
Recently added byprivate library, dmgmit, NickEdkins, cns1000, Lois_Meien_Kwa, ICTBbooks, ACMLibrary, bibliotreka
Legacy LibrariesSterling E. Lanier
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» See also 20 mentions

English (14)  Dutch (1)  French (1)  Danish (1)  All languages (17)
Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
One of the better books on evolution.Gould avoids most of the silly "Creation vs. Evolutionist" rants that most authors fall into. Great book. Great info.
( )
  Jason--Gray | Feb 14, 2023 |
8476342241
  archivomorero | Jun 25, 2022 |
Collected Essays:

Section 1: Perfections and Imperfections: A Trilogy on Panda's Thumb
The general point of these essays is that it's the obviously odd and approximate solutions that are the most convincing for the case of evolution,
rather than the impressive. Also, Darwin's enthusiasm for orchids makes sense considered this way, since the orchids' contrivances for consuming insects are all adaptations of the structures of normal flowers.
  themulhern | Dec 4, 2020 |
As with Ever Since Darwin, some of these essays have dated a bit over the years, and I don't always agree with what Gould says. But these short pieces do always make for a good read, and there are the typical gems here: Mickey Mouse's neoteny, the Piltdown hoax, the fate of South American marsupials, and "Nature's Odd Couples" stand out for me. ( )
1 vote JBD1 | Feb 27, 2016 |
More of his brilliant columns. ( )
  hcubic | Aug 2, 2015 |
Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Stephen Jay Gouldprimary authorall editionscalculated
Ros, JoandomènecTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
A teacher ... can never tell where his influence stops.
-Henry Adams
Dedication
For: Jeanette McInerney, Ester L. Ponti, Rene C. Stack. Three dedicated and compassionate teachers of my primary years, P.S. 26, Queens.
First words
Few heroes lower their sights in the prime of their lives; triumph leads inexorably on, often to destruction.
Prologue: On the title page of his classic book, The Cell in Development and Inheritance, E.B. Wilson inscribedd a motto from Pliny, the great natural historian who died in his boots when he sailed across the Bay of Naples to study the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79.
Quotations
Results rarely specify their causes unambiguously. If we have no direct evidence of fossils or human chronicles, if we are forced to infer a process only from its modern results, then we are usually stymied or reduced to speculation about probabilities. For many roads lead to almost any Rome. (from: Senseless signs of history)
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For better science students, this is a collection of 31 essays on natural history.

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W.W. Norton

An edition of this book was published by W.W. Norton.

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