Richard Dawkins: River Out Of Eden

Life, xi, 136. See also Replication bomb

Light, 74

Living creatures, 104- 6

McGavin, George, 74

Male. See Sex

Mammals:

differences in cytochrome c , 42- 43, 49;

division of species, 6- 7, 8- 11;

natural deception of, 71, 72;

purpose of, 105- 6;

sex ratios of, 106- 13.

See also individual mammals

Margulis, Lynn, 45{170}

Marlowe, Christopher, 160

Marriage of cousins, 34- 35

Mash, Robert, 63- 64

Mattiessen's ratio, 81

Mayflies, 125. See also Insects

Maynard Smith, John, 108- 9

Medawar, Peter, 128, 129

Mimicry. See Nature

Mitochondria, 45- 49

Mitochondrial Eve. See African Eve

Molecular biology, 11, 16- 17, 39

Molecular clock hypothesis, 42, 43- 44, 52

Molecules:

changes in, 44;

competition for atoms, 141;

in crystals, 140;

mirror images of, 139- 43;

mutations of, 143;

numbers of, 138;

protein, 153;

reproduction and replication of, 139- 44, 146, 149- 50;

structure of, 22- 23;

successful, 150;

templates for, 141, 143, 144.

See also DNA

Monensin, 142

Monkeys, 8. See also Mammals

Mortality, 110- 12, 114, 126- 28

Motoo Kimura, 43

Moulay Ishmael the Bloodthirsty, 55- 56

Music, 159

Mutations:

effects of, 130- 31;

hallmarks, 149;

genetic copying and, 19;

mitochondrial DNA, 47- 48, 52;

rate of, 42, 43- 44, 52, 79- 83;

replicator efficiency and, 147;

tissues and, 80.

See also Evolution; Natural selection

Natural selection:

age effects, 127- 31;

genes and, 27- 28, 122, 128- 29, 155;

intensity of, 82;

molecules and, 44;

mutations and, 130- 31;

quality of bodies and organs, 73- 74, 98- 99, 102, 122- 24;

replication and, xi, 152;

reproduction and, 126;

sex ratios, 107, 109, 110- 11.

See also Darwinism; Evolution; Genes; Utility function

Nature:

beauty in, 119- 20;

natural balance in, 131- 32;

natural continuum, 72- 77, 92- 93, 126;

natural deception, 59- 70, 71- 76;

natural indifference in, 95- 96, 131- 33;

purpose in, 97- 102, 119- 21.

See also Humans

Nature magazine, xiii, 147- 48

Nerve cells. See Neurons

Nervous system, 156- 57

Neurons:

analog/digital nature of, 15, 16;

development of in the replication bomb, 156- 57

Nilsson, Dan, 78- 83

Nucleic acids. See DNA; RNA

Orchids, 59- 60, 61, 72. See also

Flower colors Organs, 21- 22, 156

Origins, theory of, 45- 46

Oystercatchers, 63. See also Birds

Pasteur, Louis, 139- 40

Peacocks, 120, 124. See also Birds

Pelger, Susanne, 78- 83

Phenotypes, 152- 54, 155- 56

Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 97

Phonograph records, 12- 13

Photocells. See Cells; Eyes

Pigs, 42, 43, 49. See also Mammals

Pleiotropy, 129- 30

Population, 34

Proteins, 42- 43, 44, 153

Pulsars, 159- 60

Pulse Code Modulation, 13

Pulse Frequency Modulation, 15- 16

Pulses, 16

Questions, 96- 97

Radio, 144- 145, 158- 59

Reaction times, 156- 57

Rebek, Julius, 143- 44, 151

Religion, 59- 61, 95, 104- 5, 132- 33. See also Utility function

Replication bomb:

cells in, 154- 57;

data-handling units in, 157;

DNA and, 144;

information processing in, 156;

molecular heredity and, 139, 142- 43, 149- 50;

nervous systems in, 156- 57;

radio and, 158; {171}

reverberations from, 144- 45;

space travel and communications, 159- 61;

technology in, 158;

templates and, 140;

thresholds of, 151- 60;

time course of, 135- 36, 145- 46;

triggering event, 137, 138, 139, 146;

types of, 158.

See also Earth

Replicators, xi, 146- 50, 151, 152, 153- 54, 157

Reproduction. See Mitochondria; Sexual reproduction

Reproductions. See Copying

Resources:

expenditure of, 109- 12, 115- 16, 126, 130- 31;

exponential growth and, 146- 47;

replication bombs and, 151- 52

Reverse engineering. See Engineering, reverse

RNA (Ribonucleic acid), 144, 150- 51

Royal jelly, 115

Space travel, 160- 61

Speciation, 6- 11, 41

Species:

differences in cytochrome c , 42- 43;

diversity of, xii;

division of, 6- 11, 25;

DNA and, 41- 42;

extinction of, 8, 83;

family trees of, 42;

genetic differences, 5- 11, 41- 42;

survival of, 8.

See also Genes

Sphexish, 67

Squirrels, 6- 7. See also Mammals

Stars:

burning of, 135;

pulsars, 159- 60;

radio frequencies and, 145;

the sun, 135, 136.

See also Replication bomb; Supernovas

Sterility, 3- 4

Sticklebacks, 62- 63. See also Fishes

Sun. See Stars

Sunday Telegraph, The, 132

Supernovas, 135, 137. See also Stars

Survival:

ancestors and, 1- 2;

DNA and, 19.

See also Ancestors and descendants; Natural selection

Sagan, Carl, 160

Salmon, 125. See also Fishes

Science, 31- 32

Sea gulls, 63- 64. See also Birds

Seals, 106- 7, 109- 10, 116, 118. See also Mammals

Selfish Gene, The (Dawkins), 113, 158

Seven Clues to the Origin of Life (Cairns-Smith), 151

Sex:

in bees, 115;

differences in numbers of children, 56, 108- 18;

effects on DNA, 4- 5;

male, 118- 19;

“parental” or resource expenditure and, 109- 12, 115- 16, 126, 130- 31;

sex ratios, 106- 9, 110- 18;

of worker insects, 4, 115

Sex ratios. See Sex

Sexual reproduction:

genetic recombination and, 6;

historical DNA record and, 39- 41, 44, 46;

propagation and, 1, 106

Siblings, 3- 4

Signal boosting, 14- 15, 19

Sisters. See Siblings

Slide rules, 103

Song of Solomon, 40

Tape recordings, 14- 15, 16

Tartrate crystals, 139- 40

Technology development, 158- 59

Telephones, 12, 13- 14, 15

Termites, 4. See also Insects

Thomas, Lewis, 159

Thymine, 144. See also DNA

Tigers, 71. See also Mammals

Tinbergen, Niko, 62- 63, 68

Tissues, 21, 80

Trees, 121

Turkeys, 64- 65. See also Birds

Utilitarians, 103- 4

Utility function:

definition of, 103- 4;

living bodies and, 104- 5;

longevity and, 127;

quality and, 122- 24;

selfish gain and, 121- 22;

sex ratios and, 118;

survival of DNA as, 119- 20, 131

Variation, coefficient of, 82

Vertebrates, 12. See also Mammals

Vision, 72- 78. See also Eyes

von Frisch, Karl, 66, 84, 85, 88, 92, 98- 101{172}

Wasps, 4, 59- 60, 66- 70, 95. See also Insects

Water (H 2O), 139

Watson, James, 16

Wedgwood, Emma, 34

Wenner, Adrian, 99- 100, 101- 2

Williams, G. C, 128, 129

Wilson, Allan, 48, 50, 51

Wolpert, Lewis, 25- 26

Wordsworth, William, 161

Wrasse, blue-headed, 113. See also Fishes

Xerox copies, 16

Yeast, 42- 43, 49

Zoology, 10

Richard Dawkinsis the author of the bestselling science books The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, River Out of Eden, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, The Ancestor’s Tale and The God Delusion . He is a Fellow of both the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Literature, has received numerous awards, and was the first holder of the Charles Simonyi Chair in the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University from 1995 until 2008. An atheist and scientific rationalist, he is famous for his advocacy of natural selection. The God Delusion has sold well over 1.5 million copies and has been translated into 31 languages. Recently, his television programme 'The Genius of Charles Darwin' won 'Best Documentary Series' at the British Broadcast Awards in 2009. He lives in Oxford and will be joining us via satellite.