Everyday Evolution: Unveiling Life's Hidden Patterns

This book explores the essential concepts of evolutionary biology in an interesting and accessible way. Readers will learn about the mechanisms of evolution and how they shape the world around us, while marvelling at the ingenious adaptations that arise for survival and reproduction over time and across different environments. The book begins by outlining the fundamental principles of evolution, using relatable examples from everyday life. This approach helps readers build a solid foundation before delving into more complex topics, such as the evolution of sexual dimorphism, biodiversity and social behaviours, along with their implications for society. Written by early-career scientists and educators, the book conveys their enthusiasm using contemporary language and often incorporates examples from their own research to clarify key concepts. Complex topics are presented in a clear way, ensuring scientific accuracy without unnecessary oversimplification. Each chapter includes extensive educational resources, such as questions and hands-on projects, to enhance the understanding of important concepts. This book is aimed at advanced biology students in high school or the early years of university, their teachers, students training to become biology teachers, and the general public interested in a deeper understanding of natural phenomena.

About the Author :
Barbora Trubenová Barbora Trubenová is a theoretical evolutionary biologist specialising in population and quantitative genetics who, as an assistant professor, leads a research group at ETH Zürich, funded by a Swiss National Science Foundation Starting Grant. Her group's primary focus is modelling the evolution of drug resistance in pathogens by integrating theoretical frameworks with empirical data. After completing her PhD on the evolution of social behaviours at the University of Manchester, she held postdoctoral positions at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), working on evolutionary computation, and at ETH Zürich, where she began her research on drug resistance. A strong advocate for interdisciplinary science, she consistently collaborates with empirical biologists and is incorporating machine learning into her research. Beyond academia, she is actively involved in science education and co-founded the non-governmental organisation eduB to engage high school students with contemporary biology. Kristína Hudáková Kristína Hudáková is a biology educator who leads the development of educational activities for eduB, the civil association she co-founded to transform biology education in Slovakia. A former scientist with a PhD in Zoology, her work centres on creating innovative, experience-based natural science education. She connects high school students with contemporary science and scientists to help them understand biology as a dynamic science with practical significance. She actively collaborates with scientific institutions to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and classroom learning. Himani Sachdeva Himani Sachdeva is a theoretical geneticist at the University of Vienna. She uses mathematical models to study long-term evolutionary outcomes such as adaptation, speciation, and extinction in natural populations. After a doctorate in physics from TIFR Mumbai, she switched to theoretical evolutionary genetics for her postdoctoral work at IST Austria. She currently works in the Mathematics and Biosciences Group at the University of Vienna. She has a keen interest in understanding how collaboration and communication can work between disciplines, as well as between science and society.