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Mark Ridley (zoologist)

Mark Ridley (zoologist) is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mark Ridley (zoologist) rather than just read about it. In short: Mark Ridley (born 1956) is a British zoologist and writer on evolution. He studied at both Oxford and Cambridge in the 1980s (his doctoral advisor being Richard Dawkins), and later worked at Emory University.

Key takeaways

  • Mark Ridley (zoologist) belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Mark Ridley (zoologist) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Mark Ridley (zoologist) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Mark Ridley (born 1956) is a British zoologist and writer on evolution. He studied at both Oxford and Cambridge in the 1980s (his doctoral advisor being Richard Dawkins), and later worked at Emory University. As of 2010 he worked as a research assistant at the Department of Zoology, Oxford University. Ridley has worked on the evolution of reproductive behaviour and written a number of popular accounts of evolutionary biology, including articles for the New York Times, The Sunday Times, Nature, New Scientist and The Times Literary Supplement. He is sometimes confused with Matt Ridley, another writer on evolution who is also from the UK.

Published works Ridley, Mark 1993. Evolution Blackwell; 2nd ed 1996 Blackwell ISBN 0-86542-495-0; 3rd ed 2003 Wiley ISBN 978-1-4051-0345-9. A comprehensive textbook: case studies, commentary, dedicated website and CD. Mendel's Demon: Gene Justice and the Complexity of Life 2001 ISBN 978-0-7538-1410-9 Released in the US with the title: The Cooperative Gene: How Mendel's Demon Explains the Evolution of Complex Beings 2001 ISBN 978-0-7432-0161-2 Animal Behavior: An Introduction to Behavioral Mechanisms, Development, and Ecology 1995 ISBN 978-0-632-01416-3 The Problems of Evolution 1985 ISBN 978-0-19-219194-6 The Darwin Reader (Second Edition) 1996 ISBN 978-0-393-96967-2 How to Read Darwin 2006 ISBN 978-0-393-32881-3 Evolution and classification: The reformation of cladism 1986 ISBN 978-0-582-44497-3 Narrow Roads of Geneland (with W. D. Hamilton) 2006 ISBN 978-0-19-856690-8 The Explanation of Organic Diversity: The Comparative Method and Adaptations for Mating 1983 ISBN 978-0-19-857597-9 Oxford Surveys in Evolutionary Biology: 1985 (with Richard Dawkins) Vol. 2 1986 ISBN 978-0-19-854174-5, Vol. 3 1987 ISBN 978-0-19-854199-8 Animal Behaviour: A Concise Introduction 1995 ISBN 978-0-86542-390-9 Richard Dawkins: How a Scientist Changed the Way We Think (editor, with Alan Grafen) 2007 ISBN 978-0-19-921466-2

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mark Ridley (zoologist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mark Ridley (zoologist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mark Ridley (zoologist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mark Ridley (zoologist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mark Ridley (zoologist)

In research
Mark Ridley (zoologist) appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Mark Ridley (zoologist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Mark Ridley (zoologist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1956 births, British evolutionary biologists, British zoologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Mark Ridley (zoologist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Mark Ridley (zoologist) in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Mark Ridley (zoologist) means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Mark Ridley (zoologist) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mark Ridley (zoologist) in simple terms?

Mark Ridley (born 1956) is a British zoologist and writer on evolution. He studied at both Oxford and Cambridge in the 1980s (his doctoral advisor being Richard Dawkins), and later worked at Emory University.

Why does Mark Ridley (zoologist) matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mark Ridley (zoologist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mark Ridley (zoologist).

Tags

  • 1956 births
  • British evolutionary biologists
  • British zoologists
  • Critics of creationism
  • Living people
  • Modern synthesis (20th century)

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