The Book of Humans

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We like to think of ourselves as exceptional beings, but is there really anything special about us that sets us apart from other animals Humans are the slightest of twigs on a single family tree that encompasses four billion years, a lot of twists and turns, and a billion species All of those organisms are rooted in a single origin, with a common code that underwrites our existence This paradox that our biology is indistinct from all life, yet we consider ourselves to be special lies at the heart of who we are.In this original and entertaining tour of life on Earth, Adam Rutherford explores how many of the things once considered to be exclusively human are not we are not the only species that communicates, makes tools, utilises fire, or has sex for reasons other than to make new versions of ourselves Evolution has, however, allowed us to develop our culture to a level of complexity that outstrips any other observed in nature.THE BOOK OF HUMANS tells the story of how we became the creatures we are today, bestowed with the unique ability to investigate what makes us who we are Illuminated by the latest scientific discoveries, it is a thrilling compendium of what unequivocally fixes us as animals, and reveals how we are extraordinary among them. Best Read Kindle ePUB The Book of Humans by Adam Rutherford – kino-fada.fr I m not what you would consider a science literate person But I thought this book was well written and thoughtful There should probably be some warning for readers though that the subject of coercive sex is brought up in the animal kingdom.To say we have dominated the globe would be an understatement We have conquered the highest mountains, reached deep into the oceans, become one of the few mammals that can fly and even been in the unique position of having had a select number of people leave the planet when they ventured into space We tend to think of ourselves as exceptional, but are we When you look at it from a bigger perspective, we are a single twig on a four billion year old family tree that has countless species and lo To say we have dominated the globe would be an understatement We have conquered the highest mountains, reached deep into the oceans, become one of the few mammals that can fly and even been in the unique position of having had a select number of people leave the planet when they ventured into space We tend to think of ourselves as exceptional, but are we When you look at it from a bigger perspective, we are a single twig on a four billion year old family tree that has countless species and lots of dead ends All of these from a single origin with a code that is the very heart of our existence DNA.Rutherford considers all the things that make us distinctive such as spee...This is a thoughtful, informative book that doesn t really achieve what it sets out to do It seeks to show how we became uniquely human But the first 2 3 actually shows how many of our attributes including tool use, fire use and different kinds of sexual behaviour are seen elsewhere in nature In the last 3rd, Rutherford traces how we got here by looking at genetics, palaeontology andparallels from animal behaviour Ultimately, he suggests, our sociability and urge to communicate allowed This is a thoughtful, informative book that doesn t really achieve what it sets out to do It seeks to show how we became uniquely human But the first 2 3 actually shows how many of our attributes including tool use, fire use and different kinds of sexual behaviour are seen elsewhere in nature In the last 3rd, Rutherford traces how we got here by looking at genetics, palaeontology andparallels from animal behaviour Ultimately, he suggests, our sociability and urge to communicate allowed us to create the rich culture that sets us apart, but it s not an especially compelling argument, as presented I found myself thinking back to Frans De Waals wonderful Are We Smart Enough To Know How Smart Animals Are, and Rutherford himself acknowledges that our differences from other animals is of d...I have no concrete scientific background other than casual readings into science This book didn t disappoint my scientific ignorance An enjoyable pop science book right from the beginning Lots of interesting examples from the animal kingdom on various topics Definitely convinced me to have a look at his other books and his shows I had yet to check out his show at the BBC but from his writings and his narration being the narrator of the book as well , I can feel how great would be his s I have no concrete scientific background other than casual readings into science This book didn t disappoint my scientific ignorance An enjoyable pop science book right from the beginning Lots of interesting examples from the animal kingdom on various topics Definitely convinced me to have a look...A very well written book on an oft pondered upon issue What makes us human Is it our culture, ability to transmit and write stories or ability to develop tools Rutherford makes a passionate case for us humans not being so different from the animals at all We traditionally have been guilty of thinking us to be the pinnacle of an evolutionary ladder nothing like that exists btw and of late, anthropomorphising animals to such an extent that we start projecting human conditions behaviour in t A very well written book on an oft pondered upon issue What makes us human Is it our culture, ability to transmit and write stories or ability to develop tools Rutherford makes a passionate case for us humans not being so different from the animals at all We traditionally have been guilty of thinking us to be the pinnacle of an evolutionary ladder nothing like that exists btw and of late, anthropomorphising animals to such an extent that we start projecting human conditions behavi...I love how this book as much seeks to bring arrogance about human exceptionalism down a peg or two, as it seeks to reinforce how wildly amazing homo sapiens scientifically, genuinely are from every other creature in existence on the planet Of course, this answers no questions, but rather adorns and illuminates long held speculations over what exactly, if anything, makes humansspecial than any other mammal The tone and style of Adam Rutherford s books are also just so readable being a pr I love how this book as much seeks to bring arrogance about human exceptionalism down a peg or two, as it seeks to reinforce how wildly amazing homo sapiens scientifically, genuinely are from every other creature in existence on the planet Of course, this answers no questions, but rather adorns and illuminates long held speculations over what exactly, if anything, makes humansspecial than any other mammal The tone and style of Adam Rutherford s books are also just so readable being a presenter, I ...Enjoyable pop science from one of my favourite radio presenters.What an intriguing look at the fine lines that separate humans from animals, and yet really, there is not a lot of distinction genetically The descriptions of DNA and genetic codes were easy enough to follow, and yet at the end I found myself not really close to understanding the brilliance of science and nature I believe the point of the book was to inform readers that despite the marvelous advances in scientific research, DNA coding, continual theory, speculation, and scientific experimentat What an intriguing look at the fine lines that separate humans from animals, and yet really, there is not a lot of distinction genetically The descriptions of DNA and genetic codes were easy enough to follow, and yet at the end I found myself not really close to understanding the brilliance of science and nature I believe the point of the book was to inform readers that despite the marvelous advances in scientific research, DNA coding, continual theory, speculation, and scientific experimentation, we are still a long way from discovering the missing link that made us evolve as we did, and continue to do so It is as if thewe know, the less we know despite our best efforts to figure out the complete truth of why we are here and how we are as we are I found th...Interesting reading, especially the second part, focus on what makes us different, like our puzzling pair of Chromosome 2.The book just suffers the same problem as much similar books when comparing men to animals, exemples are given in reasonable quantities for each aspects, but suddenly explode...

The Book of Humans
  • 27 May 2018
  • Kindle Edition
  • 272 pages
  • Adam Rutherford
  • The Book of Humans