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Overview1 Introduction There is little doubt that the vertebrate brain is the most complex structure we know. As with any complex structure, there is the immediate question about its origins. Howcouldsuchacomplexdesigndevelopfromthesimplestmulticellular animals? This problem has pervaded the study of evolutionary biology since its beginnings. Although Darwin (1859, 1871) proposed an impeccable mechanism (natural selection) for the gradual transformation of species including human origins, even he sometimes expressed certain doubts about the origin of highly complex structures. This issue has been highly debated both within science and outsideit. Forinstance,arebirthoftheoldreligiousargumentofintelligentdesign has gained unexpected strength in the last few years. In essence, this argument follows Paley’s (1802) claim that if we ?nd a clock that has been thrown away we cannotconsiderthatitwascreatedonitsown,butratherhastobetheconsequence of conscious design. Today, creationists have developed a modern version of this argument, that of “intelligent information” (Denton 2002). For example, after sequencing the human genome in 2001, one of Celera Genomics top computer scientistsclaimedthatthiscomplexitysuggesteddesign. Althoughheclari?ednot to be thinking of God, he asserted that “there’s a huge intelligence there” (quoted inWitham2002,p9). AsWitham(2002)says,moderncomputer-literatebelievers may soon ask the question of whether the universe is self-running or functioning on DOS, a Divine Operating System. Inthisvolume,wehavedecidedtotackletheproblemoftheoriginandevolution of the vertebrate brain, from the simplest nervous system-like elements that we can observe in nature. In doing so, we expect to establish a continuity between the simplest stages and theelaboration of the highly intricate neuronal network that is the mammalian cerebral cortex. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Francisco Aboitiz , J. MontielPublisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG Imprint: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K Edition: 2007 ed. Volume: 193 Dimensions: Width: 15.50cm , Height: 0.70cm , Length: 23.50cm Weight: 0.207kg ISBN: 9783540497608ISBN 10: 3540497609 Pages: 121 Publication Date: 24 May 2007 Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: Out of stock  The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available. Table of ContentsIntroduction.- Evolution of the vertebrate nervous system and the telencephalon.- Animal phylogenetic relationships.- The origin of vertebrates.- Evolution of the telencephalon in vertebrates.- Origin of the mammalian brain.- The first mammals.- Origins of the mammalian neocortex: hypotheses on homology .- Embryological evidence.- The olfactory-hippocampal hypothesis.- Origin of neocortical lamination.- Expansion of the neocortex.- Discussion.- An overview.- Issues with evolutionary theory.- Final comments.- Acknowledgements.- References.- Subject index.ReviewsAuthor InformationTab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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