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Evolutionary Dynamics: Exploring the Equations of Life
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 576.8015118
EAN: 9780674023383
ISBN: 0674023382
Label: Belknap Press
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: September 29, 2006
Publisher: Belknap Press
Studio: Belknap Press
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Editorial Review: At a time of unprecedented expansion in the life sciences, evolution is the one theory that transcends all of biology. Any observation of a living system must ultimately be interpreted in the context of its evolution. Evolutionary change is the consequence of mutation and natural selection, which are two concepts that can be described by mathematical equations.Evolutionary Dynamics is concerned with these equations of life. In this book, Martin Nowak draws on the languages of biology and mathematics to outline the mathematical principles according to which life evolves. His work introduces readers to the powerful yet simple laws that govern the evolution of living systems, no matter how complicated they might seem. Evolution has become a mathematical theory, Nowak suggests, and any idea of an evolutionary process or mechanism should be studied in the context of the mathematical equations of evolutionary dynamics. His book presents a range of analytical tools that can be used to this end: fitness landscapes, mutation matrices, genomic sequence space, random drift, quasispecies, replicators, the Prisoner's Dilemma, games in finite and infinite populations, evolutionary graph theory, games on grids, evolutionary kaleidoscopes, fractals, and spatial chaos. Nowak then shows how evolutionary dynamics applies to critical real-world problems, including the progression of viral diseases such as AIDS, the virulence of infectious agents, the unpredictable mutations that lead to cancer, the evolution of altruism, and even the evolution of human language. His book makes a clear and compelling case for understanding every living system--and everything that arises as a consequence of living systems--in terms of evolutionary dynamics.
(20071201)
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - A must for anybody interested in evolution
The author picks a variety of sunjects related to evolution (HIV, cancer, language....), and mathematically shows, why it has to be that way!
The mathematics involved is simple (I am an engineer, and I had absolutely no problems understanding the math), yet rigorous enough.
In my opinion, mathematics is not necessary to understand the principles of Darwin's Great Theory (unlike Quantum Theory and Relativity Theory, where without math, you are lost), it greatly helps to make it ... Read More
Rating: - Exquisite in Every Respect, Two-Fifths Equations & Charts
I don't do math, so I must disclose right away that the math was lost on me, except in the context of this equisitely presented book, I am compelled to recognize that mathematics as well as computation science is going to be a major player is the EarthGame, in modeling alternative outcomes for social and cultural complexity, and in cross-fertilizing disciplines by creating a common language.
I tend to be hard on publishers, so in this instance I want to say right away that the Belknap ... Read More
Rating: - A tremendously interesting book.
I am neither a biologist nor a mathematician but I found this book very approachable and tremendously interesting. I would enthusiastically recommend it to anyone with a passing interest in evolution who has a basic understanding of ordinary differential equations and linear algebra and who would like to see the nuts and bolts of how evolution works.
Rating: - An engrossing read - highly recommended
This is a wonderful book by a master of the field. Prof. Nowak, who teaches at Harvard, has managed a minor miracle: writing a book on mathematical biology that is mathematically rigorous and extremely readable at the same time.
The book is divided into two broad sections. The first nine chapters explore various abstract models of evolution. Simple models of evolution do not demonstrate cooperation between individuals, while examples of it abound in the real world. This fact quite rightly ... Read More
Rating: - Excellent and Approachable Survey
This book is an accessible introduction to the mathematics of evolution and results in the field of evolutionary dynamics with a heavy emphasis on applications including the immune system, virulence, AIDS, and even the evolution of language. Many of the ideas are from fairly recent papers and results in mathematical biology, particularly the sections regarding the evolution of universal grammar and in the emerging field of evolutionary graph theory, which adds population structure to the mathematical analysis. ... Read More
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