{"title":"Jonathan B. Losos","description":"Jonathan B. Losos is an evolutionary biologist at Washington University and the founding director of the Living Earth Collaborative, a unique biodiversity center and partnership between Washington University, the Saint Louis Zoo and the Missouri Botanical Garden. He was previously a professor of biology at Harvard and a curator at the university's Museum of Comparative Zoology. He has won awards from the National Academy of Sciences, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the American Society of Naturalists.","products":[{"product_id":"the-cats-meow-how-cats-evolved-from-the-savanna-to-your-sofa-hardcover","title":"The Cat's Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe past, present, and future of the world's most popular and beloved pet, from a leading evolutionary biologist and great cat lover. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Engaging and wide-ranging ... \u003ci\u003eThe Cat's Meow \u003c\/i\u003eis a readable and informed exploration of the wildcat that lurks within Fluffy.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe domestic cat--\u003ci\u003eyour\u003c\/i\u003e cat--has, from its evolutionary origins in Africa, been transformed in comparatively little time into one of the most successful and diverse species on the planet. Jonathan Losos, writing as both a scientist and a cat lover, explores how researchers today are unraveling the secrets of the cat, past and present, using all the tools of modern technology, from GPS tracking (you'd be amazed where those backyard cats roam) and genomics (what is your so-called Siamese cat . . . really?) to forensic archaeology. In addition to solving the mysteries of your cat's past, it gives us a cat's-eye view of today's habitats, including meeting wild cousins around the world whose habits your sweet house cat sometimes eerily parallels. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDo lions and tigers meow? If not, why not? Why does my cat leave a dead mouse at my feet (or on my pillow)? Is a pet ocelot a bad idea? When and why did the cat make its real leap off the African plain? What's with all those cats in Egyptian hieroglyphics? In a genial voice, casually deciphering complex science and history with many examples from his own research and multi-cat household, Losos explores how selection, both natural and artificial, over the last several millennia has shaped the contemporary cat, with new breeds vastly different in anatomy and behavior from their ancestral stock. Yet the cat, ever a predator, still seems only one paw out of the wild, and readily reverts to its feral ways as it occupies new lands around the world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHumans are transforming cats, and they in turn are transforming the world around them. This charming and intelligent book suggests what the future may hold for both \u003ci\u003eFelis catus\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHomo sapiens\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51377352868063,"sku":"9781984878700","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/dCoF5s_T239781984878700.webp?v=1789232873"},{"product_id":"improbable-destinies-fate-chance-and-the-future-of-evolution-paperback","title":"Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA major new book overturning our assumptions about how evolution works\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Earth's natural history is full of fascinating instances of convergence: phenomena like eyes and wings and tree-climbing lizards that have evolved independently, multiple times. But evolutionary biologists also point out many examples of contingency, cases where the tiniest change--a random mutation or an ancient butterfly sneeze--caused evolution to take a completely different course. What role does each force really play in the constantly changing natural world? Are the plants and animals that exist today, and we humans ourselves, inevitabilities or evolutionary flukes? And what does that say about life on other planets? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Jonathan Losos reveals what the latest breakthroughs in evolutionary biology can tell us about one of the greatest ongoing debates in science. He takes us around the globe to meet the researchers who are solving the deepest mysteries of life on Earth through their work in experimental evolutionary science. Losos himself is one of the leaders in this exciting new field, and he illustrates how experiments with guppies, fruit flies, bacteria, foxes, and field mice, along with his own work with anole lizards on Caribbean islands, are rewinding the tape of life to reveal just how rapid and predictable evolution can be. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eImprobable Destinies \u003c\/i\u003ewill change the way we think and talk about evolution. Losos's insights into natural selection and evolutionary change have far-reaching applications for protecting ecosystems, securing our food supply, and fighting off harmful viruses and bacteria. This compelling narrative offers a new understanding of ourselves and our role in the natural world and the cosmos.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51379085344991,"sku":"9780525534136","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/lee9amZ8ie9780525534136.webp?v=1789268525"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/jonathan-b-losos.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}