Table Of Content“Have you ever wondered why it’s important for everyone to understand
evolution? This masterful book presents a clear and approachable picture of
evolution and what it tells us about our lives and interactions with other spe-
cies. Compelling examples of the ever-present impact of evolution in many,
often unexpected, facets of our lives provides a broad new perspective on its
meaning and relevance. If you’ve ever doubted that evolution matters to your
life, this book will convince you that it does.”
—Marvalee H. Wake, University of California, Berkeley
“From human evolution to the evolution of antibiotic resistance, from
cultural evolution to the cultural importance of evolutionary thought, this is
a wonderful and essential volume.”
—Simon Levin, Princeton University
“Yet another book about evolution? Yes, and thank goodness. With engag-
ing brief essays by leading experts, this book illustrates the importance of
evolution for our lives and planet so vividly that I plan to create a course to
share it with students—and to have an excuse to read it again myself.”
—Randolph M. Nesse, M.D., director of the Arizona State Univer-
sity Center for Evolution and Medicine
“Evolution is everywhere, it changes everything, and it is relevant to
everyone. This volume shows us how, with chapters on topics ranging from
language to medicine to biodiversity. Moving beyond superficial summaries,
each of the essays is a thoughtful consideration of just how much evolution
matters.”
—Marlene Zuk, author of Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells
Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live
HOW EVOLUTION SHAPES OUR LIVES
HOW EVOLUTION SHAPES OUR LIVES
Essays on Biology and Society
Jonathan B. Losos and Richard E. Lenski, editors
Princeton University Press
Princeton and Oxford
Copyright © 2016 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock,
Oxfordshire OX20 1TR
press.princeton.edu
Cover images courtesy of Shutterstock
All Rights Reserved
ISBN 978- 0- 691- 17187- 6
ISBN (pbk.) 978- 0- 691- 17039- 8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Losos, Jonathan B., editor. | Lenski, Richard, editor.
Title: How evolution shapes our lives : essays on biology and society / [13 contributors] ;
edited by Jonathan B. Losos, Richard E. Lenski.
Description: Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, 2016. | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016016195| ISBN 9780691171876 (hardback) | ISBN 9780691170398
(paperback)
Subjects: LCSH: Human evolution. | Human population genetics.
Classification: LCC GN281.4 H69 2016 | DDC 599.93/8—dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2016016195
British Library Cataloging- in- Publication Data is available
This book has been composed in Minion Pro text with Futura Std display
Printed on acid- free paper. ∞
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Preface vii
Contributors ix
Chapter 1 How Evolution Shapes Our Lives 1
Richard E. Lenski
PART I BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
Chapter 2 What Is Evolution? 15
Jonathan B. Losos
Chapter 3 Human Evolution 31
John Hawks
Chapter 4 Human Cooperation and Conflict 46
Joan E. Strassmann and David C. Queller
Chapter 5 Human Behavioral Ecology 61
Virpi Lummaa
Chapter 6 Evolutionary Psychology 77
Robert C. Richardson
PART II EVOLUTION IN HEALTH AND DISEASE
Chapter 7 Evolutionary Medicine 93
Paul E. Turner
Chapter 8 Aging and Menopause 114
Jacob A. Moorad and Daniel E. L. Promislow
Chapter 9 Evolution of Parasite Virulence 134
Dieter Ebert
Chapter 10 Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance 147
Dan I. Andersson
Chapter 11 Evolution and Microbial Forensics 163
Paul Keim and Talima Pearson
vi • Contents
PART III RESHAPING OUR WORLD
Chapter 12 Domestication and the Evolution of Agriculture 179
Amy Cavanaugh and Cameron R. Currie
Chapter 13 Directed Evolution 191
Erik M. Quandt and Andrew D. Ellington
Chapter 14 Evolution and Computing 206
Robert T. Pennock
Chapter 15 Evolution and Conservation 220
H. Bradley Shaffer
Chapter 16 Adaptation to a Changing World:
Evolutionary Resilience and Climate Change 238
Martha M. Muñoz and Craig Moritz
PART IV EVOLUTION IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE
Chapter 17 Evolution and Religion: Conflict and Dialogue 255
Francisco J. Ayala
Chapter 18 Creationism and Intelligent Design 284
Eugenie C. Scott
Chapter 19 Evolution and the Media 300
Carl Zimmer
PART V NATURE AND NURTURE
Chapter 20 Linguistics and the Evolution of Human Language 313
Mark Pagel
Chapter 21 Cultural Evolution 331
Elizabeth Hannon and Tim Lewens
Chapter 22 Evolution and Notions of Human Race 346
Alan R. Templeton
Chapter 23 The Future of Human Evolution 362
Alan R. Templeton
Index 381
PREFACE
For more than 150 years, since the publication of On the Origin of Spe-
cies, biologists have focused on understanding the evolutionary chroni-
cle of diversification and extinction, and the underlying evolutionary
processes that have produced it. Although progress in evolutionary biol-
ogy has been steady since Darwin’s time, developments in the last 20
years have ushered in a golden era of evolutionary study in which biolo-
gists are on the brink of answering many of the fundamental questions
in the field.
These advances have come from a confluence of technological and
conceptual innovations. In the laboratory, the rapid and inexpensive se-
quencing of large amounts of DNA is producing a wealth of data on the
genomes of many species; comparisons of these genomes are allowing
scientists to pinpoint the specific genetic changes that have occurred
over the course of evolution. In parallel, spectacular fossil discoveries
have filled many of the most critical gaps in our documentation of the
evolutionary pageant, detailing how whales evolved from land-l iving
animals, snakes from their four-l egged lizard forebears, and humans
from our primate ancestors. In addition, providing the data that Darwin
could only imagine, field biologists are now tracking populations, di-
rectly documenting natural selection as it occurs, and monitoring the
resulting evolutionary changes that occur from one generation to the
next.
This volume is an abridged and updated follow-u p to The Princeton
Guide to Evolution. Published in 2013, the guide’s 107 chapters provide
in- depth, yet accessible, coverage of the entirety of modern evolutionary
biology. In this volume, we take a more focused approach, concentrating
on the interplay of evolution and modern society.
The reason is simple: even as this is a golden time for evolutionary
science, it is also one in which understanding evolution has never been
more important; its impact is now being felt throughout human society.
Many current issues—such as the rise of new diseases, the increased
resistance of pests and microorganisms to efforts to control them, and
the effect of changing environmental conditions on natural popula-
