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Evolution in a Toxic World : How Life Responds to Chemical Threats by Emily Monosson is a nonfiction available to read on EtoBox.

What is Evolution in a Toxic World : How Life Responds to Chemical Threats about?

With BPA in baby bottles, mercury in fish, and lead in computer monitors, the world has become a toxic place. But as Emily Monosson demonstrates in her groundbreaking new book, it has always been toxic. When oxygen first developed in Earth's atmosphere, it threatened the very existence of life: now we literally can't live without it. According to Monosson, examining how life adapted to such early threats can teach us a great deal about today's (and tomorrow's) most dangerous contaminants. While the study of evolution has advanced many other sciences, from conservation biology to medicine, the field of toxicology has yet to embrace this critical approach. In Evolution in a Toxic World, Monosson seeks to change that. She traces the development of life's defense systems--the mechanisms that transform, excrete, and stow away potentially harmful chemicals--from more than three billion years ago to today. Beginning with our earliest ancestors' response to ultraviolet radiation, Monosson explores the evolution of chemical defenses such as antioxidants, metal binding proteins, detoxification, and cell death. As we alter the world's chemistry, these defenses often become overwhelmed faster

Who reads Evolution in a Toxic World : How Life Responds to Chemical Threats?

Author

Emily Monosson

Publisher

Island Press/Center for Resource Economics : Imprint : Island Press

Published

2012

Language

EN

ISBN

9781597269773

Category

nonfiction

Subjects

Science, Chemistry, Medical

Rating

3.18 / 5 (9 ratings)

Updated

2026-03-13