Understanding Catastrophe (Darwin College Lectures)
Books / Hardcover
ISBN: 0521413249 / Publisher: Cambridge University Press, March 1992
Understanding Catastrophe examines the immense and varied impact catastrophic change can have on the...
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Understanding Catastrophe examines the immense and varied impact catastrophic change can have on the development of life on earth. Opening with a remarkable account of supernovae and the nature of stellar catastrophe, it then examines the way evolution itself can proceed through genetic jumps of catastrophic proportions. The awesome power of the earth, manifested in such natural catastrophes as earthquakes and cyclones, and the devastating impact this can have even today on human populations across the world receives extended scrutiny as does the power of famine historically in determining the future of humankind. The fascinating final chapter on changing medical and social attitudes to epidemic diseases such as tuberculosis offers some unsettling insights.
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