Enchanted by Daphne
eBook - ePub

Enchanted by Daphne

The Life of an Evolutionary Naturalist

  1. 312 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Enchanted by Daphne

The Life of an Evolutionary Naturalist

About this book

The extraordinary life story of the celebrated naturalist who transformed our understanding of evolution

Enchanted by Daphne is legendary ecologist Peter Grant's personal account of his remarkable life and career. In this revelatory book, Grant takes readers from his childhood in World War II–era Britain to his ongoing research today in the GalĆ”pagos archipelago, vividly describing what it's like to do fieldwork in one of the most magnificent yet inhospitable places on Earth. This is also the story of two brilliant and courageous biologists raising a family together while balancing the demands of professional lives that would take them to the far corners of the globe.

In 1973, Grant and his wife, Rosemary, embarked on a journey that would fundamentally change how we think about evolution. Over the next four decades, they visited the GalĆ”pagos every year to observe Darwin's famous finches on the remote, uninhabited island of Daphne Major. Documenting how eighteen species have diversified from a single ancestral species, they demonstrated that we could actually see and measure evolution in a natural setting. Grant recounts the blind alleys and breathtaking triumphs of this historic research as he and Rosemary followed in Darwin's footsteps—and ushered in a new era in ecology.

A wonderfully absorbing portrait of a life in science, Enchanted by Daphne is an unforgettable chronicle of the travels and discoveries of one of the world's most influential naturalists.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Enchanted by Daphne by Peter R. Grant in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Technology & Engineering & Science & Technology Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Preface
  7. 1. Daphne
  8. 2. Childhood: A Kaleidoscope of Memories
  9. 3. The Gift of Whitgift
  10. 4. Marking Time in National Service
  11. 5. Becoming Serious
  12. 6. Imprinting on Wild America
  13. 7. An Island Problem
  14. 8. Postdoctoral Interlude at Yale
  15. 9. McGill and Montreal
  16. 10. Of Mice and Birds
  17. 11. Evolution by Natural Selection
  18. 12. Michigan
  19. 13. From Michigan to Princeton
  20. 14. The Drama of El NiƱo
  21. 15. Uno Becomes Duo
  22. 16. In Search of DNA
  23. 17. First Experiences of Asia
  24. 18. New Discoveries on Daphne
  25. 19. Retirement
  26. 20. Celebrating Charles Darwin
  27. 21. End of Field Research on Daphne
  28. 22. An Epicurean Life
  29. 23. Hobbling in Hawaii and Becoming an American
  30. 24. Guests at the Top End
  31. 25. Begin with an Operation, End with a Medal
  32. 26. Finch Genes and a Return to GalƔpagos
  33. 27. In Praise of Old Nassau
  34. 28. And So to Lockdown
  35. Epilogue
  36. Acknowledgments
  37. Appendix
  38. References
  39. Subject Index
  40. Bird Index