Evolutionary Dynamics: Exploring the Equations of Life

Preface 1. Introduction 2. What Evolution Is 3. Fitness Landscapes and Sequence Spaces 4. Evolutionary Games 5. Prisoners of the Dilemma 6. Finite Populations 7. Games in Finite Populations 8. Evolutionary Graph Theory 9. Spatial Games 10. HIV Infection 11. The Evolution of Virulence 12. The Evolutionary Dynamics of Cancer 13. Language Evolution 14. Conclusion Further Reading References Index

Martin A. Nowak is Professor of Biology and of Mathematics at Harvard University. He is Director of the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics.

Martin Nowak is undeniably a great artist, working in the medium of mathematical biology...Nowak has seemingly effortlessly produced a stream of remarkable theoretical explorations into areas as diverse as the evolution of language, cooperation, cancer and the progression from HIV infection to AIDS. Evolutionary Dynamics, based on a course he gives at Harvard, is a comprehensive summary of this work...This is a unique book. It should be on the shelf of anyone who has, or thinks they might have, an interest in theoretical biology. -- Sean Nee Nature 20061101 The lucid presentation, drawing frequently on the author's own research, provides a uniquely compelling introduction to mathematical biology. Nowak aims to demonstrate the power of simple mathematics to illuminate diverse aspects of evolutionary analysis...Evolutionary Dynamics provides a new generation with an opportunity to draw from the masters. -- Steven A. Frank Science 20061222 The book will be a valuable resource both for those familiar with evolutionary dynamics and for those who are interested in learning the subject. -- Ross Cressman Mathematical Reviews 20070101 Two of the crucial processes that drive evolution, mutation and selection, can be described with mathematical equations. This book introduces the reader to the basic mathematical laws that govern the evolution of life...This is a fascinating treatment of evolutionary theory, with many fresh insights. -- S.E. Southeastern Naturalist 20071201