02412cam a22003013u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000520011324500410016526400510020630000470025733600260030433700260033033800360035650000310039250801850042352013730060853400450198165300240202665300170205085600430206759171UtSlPG20260610134349.0mcr n260607r2019||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aQH1 aLankester, E. Ray, Sirq(Edwin Ray),d1847-192910aDegeneration: A Chapter in Darwinism 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2019  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier  aRelease date is 2019-03-31  aProduced by Turgut Dincer and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive)  a"Degeneration: A Chapter in Darwinism" by Sir E. Ray Lankester is a scientific publication written in the late 19th century. The book explores the concept of degeneration as it pertains to species evolution and biology, specifically discussing how certain organisms may evolve to become simpler or less complex over time rather than more advanced. Lankester's work engages with Darwinism, assessing how natural selection and various environmental pressures contribute to these processes.  In this book, Lankester presents his argument that not all evolutionary paths lead to greater complexity or improvement; some species face conditions that result in degeneration, leading them to develop simpler forms that are better adapted to their environments. Through various examples, including parasitic organisms and immobile creatures, the author illustrates how certain species may lose physical traits or abilities that are no longer advantageous. He also emphasizes the importance of understanding the underlying causes of these processes, proposing that recognizing degeneration can contribute to the broader comprehension of biological classification and evolutionary theory. Ultimately, his exploration invites readers to reconsider traditional views on evolution by including concepts of decline alongside progression. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aEvolution (Biology)  aDegeneration40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59171