Eating one's own kind is completely natural behavior in thousands of species, including humans. Throughout history we have engaged in cannibalism for reasons relating to famine, burial rites, and medicinal remedies. Cannibalism has been used as a form of terrorism but also as the ultimate expression of filial piety. With unexpected wit and a wealth of knowledge, Bill Schutt, a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History, takes us...

A single great idea: the theory of natural selection. With it, Charles Darwin shattered existing notions of the natural world by demonstrating how complexity could arise as a result of a blind and mechanistic sorting process, without an "intelligent designer". Now, join Daniel Dennett as he illuminates the radical nature of Darwin's dangerous idea. Setting his stage, Dennett illustrates why skeptics insist that beyond "gradual change" evolution must...

What's been going through Evolution's mind the last few billion years? Mara Grunbaum, a brilliant science writer, dares to imagine: She celebrates more than one hundred of Evolution's greatest achievements-an assortment of mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and other creatures whose very existence leaves us shaking our heads, laughing, and wondering: WTF?--back cover