Evolution. Classical Ideas in Light of New Discoveries

What is benefit? How does a random mutation turn outsiders into thriving winners? What is more important for evolution — war or cooperation? The book by Alexander Markov and Elena Naimark discusses the latest research by molecular geneticists and discoveries by paleontologists that provide answers to these and many other questions about changes in nature. Thousands of discoveries made since Darwin support the hypotheses of the founders of the theory of evolution; new data do not undermine the foundations of evolutionary theory, but rather strengthen them. Alexander Markov, head of the Department of Biological Evolution at the Faculty of Biology at Moscow State University, and Elena Naimark, leading researcher at the A. A. Borisyak Paleontological Institute, are well-known scientists and popularizers of science. The two-volume work “The Evolution of Man” from 2011, co-authored by them, has become a key reference for not only students and biologists but also for many people outside the professional community.