Future Evolution
Ward (geologic sciences, zoology, paleontology, Univ. of  Washington, Seattle; The Call of Distant Mammoths) counters the  majority of scientists who predict the extinction of our species  as the price for the harm we've inflicted on our environment and  on species worldwide. The future he forecasts is more chilling;  Ward states unequivocally that humans are virtually  "extinction-proof" owing to their ability to alter environmental  conditions and insulate themselves from adverse conditions that  affect every other species. Describing mass extinction as the  primary catalyst for evolutionary change throughout our planet's  history, the author makes a compelling case that we are well  into the extinction phase of the Age of Megamammals and that  future evolution will be seriously hampered by the lack of  species diversity. He also foresees humankind's evolving  alongside machines, in company with genetically altered plants  that will infest the world as weeds and cloned animal species  devoid of any evolutionary spark. Written in accessible prose by  an expert in extinction theory with 37 color illustrations by  top science illustrator Rockman, this book is highly recommended  for its unique viewpoint and synthesis of scientific data. For  public and academic libraries. Gloria Maxwell, Penn Valley  Community Coll., Kansas City, MOCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.