Embryogenesis: Species, Gender, and Identity

"Embryogenesis: From Cosmos to Creature — The Origins of Human Biology is an unusual and ambitious work that combines a highly illustrated, practical embryology textbook—written in clear, accessible language for health practitioners—with a sweeping exploration of the history and philosophy of biological science. Covering every major stage of embryonic development, including meiosis, fertilization, blastula formation, gastrulation, and the detailed embryology of each human organ and organ system, the book places human development within both its phylogeny—the evolutionary trajectory of cell-organized life on Earth—and its ontogeny, the formation of individual organisms in the modern world. Richly visual in scope, the volume contains 24 color plates, many commissioned specifically for the book, along with several hundred black-and-white illustrations. Presented as a substantial 950-page hardcover edition in an 8½ × 10 format, it serves equally as a scientific reference, educational resource, and philosophical inquiry into the origins of human biology. This edition is a revised and expanded version of Embryogenesis: From Cosmos to Creature: The Origins of Human Biology. The original manuscript was developed, typeset, and designed by Avon Books but was ultimately never published by them; it was instead issued through North Atlantic Books, with the later revised edition significantly enlarged under a new subtitle. The work also forms part of the author’s original “Science Trilogy,” a series of publisher-commissioned books that included Planet Medicine: From Stone Age Shamanism to Post-Industrial Healing (Doubleday Anchor), The Night Sky: The Science and Anthropology of the Stars and Planets (Sierra Club Books), and Embryogenesis: From Cosmos to Creature: The Origins of Human Biology (Avon Books)."