Overview

Widely regarded as one of the rare eminent scientists who is also a graceful writer, Ian Tattersall here takes up some of the most controversial questions in evolutionary history in this superb collection of essays. Tattersall stresses that living creatures, including humans, are not finely engineered organisms with every component perfectly adapted to their function. We are - on the contrary - jury-rigged, improvised beings, owing as much to chance as to adaptation. And this is true of all living creatures. Leading the reader around the world and into the far reaches of the past, Tattersall shows us what the science of human evolution is about and what it is up against - from the sparsity of evidence to the pressures of religious fundamentalism.The fundamental questions of our origins - and our evolutionary future - find new life in this extraordinary book, full of delightful stories, scientific wisdom, and fresh insight

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9780198515692

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Reviews

`Read this collection of riveting essays to get the lowdown on the very latest of scientific thinking on what it is to be human, and how we have come to be the way we are.' Niles Eldredge, author of Life in the Balance `'This exceptional collection of essays, by one of the foremost anthropologists in the world, provides unparalleled insight into how we became human - a must read!'' Donald Johanon, author of Lucy `concise but penetrating book' Good Book Guide `'There are plenty of strong personal opinions here... but they ring true. The whole production is as absorbing and literate as you would expect from Tattersall.'' Kirkus reviews `(From reviews of 'Becoming Human' (OUP 1998)) 'There is no more literate anthropologist writing on human evolution today than Ian Tattersall.'' San Francisco Chronicle `vigourously and authoritatively written...Tattersall has an enviable gift for explaining complex ideas clearly and vividly' Alan Bilsborough, THES

Ian Tattersall is the Curator of Human Evolution at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and this concise but penetrating new book is a fresh investigation of our evolutionary origins - and what the future has in store for the human race. Widely regarded as one of the rare eminent scientists who can write elegantly, Tattersall here takes up some of the most controversial questions in evolutionary history in a pithy collection of essays. He stresses that living creatures, including humans, are not finely engineered organisms with every component perfectly adapted to their function. We are, in fact, jury-rigged, improvised beings, owing as much to chance as to adaptation. In highly accessible prose, we are taken around the world and into the distant past; Tattersall shows us what the science of human evolution is about and what it is up against - from the lack of evidence to the pressures of religious fundamentalism, so ready to deny science. The key questions of our origins - and our evolutionary future - are examined in this fascinating book, full of delightful stories, scientific wisdom, and even humour. Our appetite for insights into what makes us tick remains unabated, and this collection of essays by one of the world's foremost anthropologists goes a long way towards satisfying it. (Kirkus UK)

A touchstone for any reader intent on a brief guided tour of the contemporary discipline ... There is much in this brief book that inspires reflection ... written with such facility and in such fluent prose ... any reader who is prepared to devote time and thought to this brief book will be abundantly rewarded. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews Concise but penetrating book. Good Book Guide This exceptional collection of essays, by one of the foremost anthropologists in the world, provides unparalleled insight into how we became human - a must read!' Donald Johanon, author of Lucy

Author Information

Ian Tattersall is Curator of Human Evolution at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the author of many other books and articles, including two published by OUP in the UK - The Fossil Trail (1994) and Becoming Human (1998).

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