{"product_id":"biologys-first-law-daniel-w-mcshea-9780226562254","title":"Biology's First Law: The Tendency for Diversity and Complexity to Increase in Evolutionary Systems","description":"\u003cp\u003eLife on earth is characterized by three striking phenomena that demand explanation: adaptation--the marvelous fit between organism and environment; diversity--the great variety of organisms; and complexity--the enormous intricacy of their internal structure. Natural selection explains adaptation. But what explains diversity and complexity? Daniel W. McShea and Robert N. Brandon argue that there exists in evolution a spontaneous tendency toward increased diversity and complexity, one that acts whether natural selection is present or not. They call this tendency a biological law--the Zero-Force Evolutionary Law, or ZFEL. This law unifies the principles and data of biology under a single framework and invites a reconceptualization of the field of the same sort that Newton's First Law brought to physics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBiology's First Law\u003c\/i\u003e shows how the ZFEL can be applied to the study of diversity and complexity and examines its wider implications for biology. Intended for evolutionary biologists, paleontologists, and other scientists studying complex systems, and written in a concise and engaging format that speaks to students and interdisciplinary practitioners alike, this book will also find an appreciative audience in the philosophy of science.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Daniel W. McShea,Robert N. Brandon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0226562255\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226562254\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/15\/2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 184\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.83lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2011","brand":"Daniel W. McShea","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48658833932543,"sku":"9780226562254","price":99.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/biologys-first-law-daniel-w-mcshea-9780226562254","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}