This adventure in science and imagination, which the Medical Tribune said might herald "a Copernican revolution for the life sciences," leads the reader through unexplored jungles and uncharted aspects of mind to the heart of knowledge.In a first-person narrative of scientific discovery that opens new perspectives on biology, anthropology, and the limits of rationalism, The Cosmic Serpent reveals how startlingly different the world around us appears when we open our minds to it. Views: 71
Alice Roberts has been travelling the world - from Ethiopian desert to Malay peninsula and from Russian steppes to Amazon basin - in order to understand the challenges that early humans faced as they tried to settle continents. On her travels she has witnessed some of the daunting and brutal challenges our ancestors had to face: mountains, deserts, oceans, changing climates, terrifying giant beasts and volcanoes. But she discovers that perhaps the most serious threat of all came from other humans. When our ancestors set out from Africa there were already two other species of human on the planet: Neanderthal in Europe and Homo erectus in Asia. Both (contrary to popular perception) were intelligent, adept at making tools and weapons and were long adapted to their environments. So, Alice asks, why did only Homo sapiens survive? Part detective story, part travelogue, and drawing on the latest genetic and archaeological discoveries, Alice examines how our ancestors evolved... Views: 56
This landmark book undertakes the first general overview of the prehistory of the Cuzco region from the arrival of the first hunter-gatherers (ca. 7000 B.C.) to the fall of the Inca Empire in A.D. 1532. Views: 54
At some point during the last 100,000 years, humans began exhibiting traits and behavior that distinguished us from other animals, eventually creating language, art, religion, bicycles, spacecraft, and nuclear weapons--all within a heartbeat of evolutionary time. Now, faced with the threat of nuclear weapons and the effects of climate change, it seems our innate tendencies for violence and invention have led us to a crucial fork in our road. Where did these traits come from? Are they part of our species immutable destiny? Or is there hope for our species' future if we change? With fascinating facts and his unparalleled readability, Diamond intended his book to improve the world that today's young people will inherit. Triangle Square's The Third Chimpanzee for Young People is a book for future generation and the future they'll help build. From the Hardcover edition. Views: 41
Why are humans one of the few species to have sex in private? Why do humans have sex any day of the month or year—including when the female is pregnant, beyond her reproductive years, or between her fertile cycles? Why are human females the only mammals to go through menopause? Why is the human penis so unnecessarily large? Why do we differ so radically in these and other important aspects of our sexuality from our closest animal relatives and ancestors?With wit and fascinating scientific expertise, the author of The Third Chimpanzee explores the mystifying evolutionary forces that gave shape to our sexual distinctions and shows how they contributed to what it means to be uniquely human. Views: 20
**'A masterpiece of evocative scientific storytelling.' BRIAN COX****'Will appeal to fans of Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens'. Mail on Sunday **The extraordinary story of the species that became our allies.Dogs became our companionsWheat fed a booming populationCattle gave us meat and milkMaize fuelled the growth of empiresPotatoes brought us feast and famineChickens led us to wonder about tomorrowRice promised us a golden futureHorses gave us strength and speedApples travelled with usHUMANS TAMED THEM ALLFor hundreds of thousands of years, our ancestors depended on wild plants and animals to stay alive – until they began to tame them.Combining archaeology and cutting-edge genetics, Tamed tells the story of the greatest revolution in human history and reveals the fascinating... Views: 13
Be careful what you wish for. Winnie's arrival from boarding school to sunny Sydney, thrust into the sinister world of the Crone, was further from an uplifting homecoming than she could imagine. As the last Keeper of the witch-demon's stolen possession, Winnie must hide the poisonous Stone, exposed and vulnerable until she does. And her enemy is poised to break free, her swarming followers on the hunt. Legend forecasts the final chapter nears, heralding the Stone's triumphant return and the obliteration of the feeble, ailing Trinity who've stood in their way for a thousand years. But allies exist in the most unexpected places. For the first time in millennia, the Sacred Trinity are recruiting. Satan's mistress is coming to take back what's hers and just maybe, Winnie will be ready. This is no fairy tale. (Second Sacred Trinity, First: The Crone's Stone) Views: 8
