Last Ape Standing
The Seven Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived
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Narrated by:
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Bernard Clark
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Teresa DeBerry
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By:
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Chip Walter
About this listen
Over the past 150 years scientists have discovered evidence that at least 27 species of humans evolved on planet Earth. These weren't simply variations on apes, but upright-walking humans who lived side by side, competing, cooperating, sometimes even mating with our direct ancestors. Why did the line of ancient humans who eventually evolved into us survive when the others were shown the evolutionary door? Chip Walter draws on new scientific discoveries to tell the fascinating tale of how our survival was linked to our ancestors being born more prematurely than others, having uniquely long and rich childhoods, evolving a new kind of mind that made us resourceful and emotionally complex; how our highly social nature increased our odds of survival; and why we became self aware in ways that no other animal seems to be. Last Ape Standing also profiles the mysterious "others" who evolved with us - the Neanderthals of Europe, the "Hobbits" of Indonesia, the Denisovans of Siberia and the just-discovered Red Deer Cave people of China who died off a mere 11,000 years ago. Last Ape Standing is evocative science writing at its best - a witty, engaging and accessible story that explores the evolutionary events that molded us into the remarkably unique creatures we are; an investigation of why we do, feel, and think the things we do as a species, and as people - good and bad, ingenious and cunning, heroic and conflicted.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2013 William J. (Chip) Walter Jr. (P)2014 Audible Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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They just throw the facts too fast
- By Concerned_llama on 12-11-20
By: Phil Mason
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Plant Science: An Introduction to Botany
- By: Catherine Kleier, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Catherine Kleier
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Original Recording
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Dr. Catherine Kleier invites us to open our eyes to the phenomenal world of plant life and to the process she calls “Natura Revelata”, the joy of celebrating and learning from the secrets of nature. As Dr. Kleier shares her knowledge with contagious excitement for her subject, she emphasizes the middle ground: Instead of focusing on cell microbiology or the study of ecosystems and habitats, she stresses the basic biology, function, and the amazing adaptations of the plants we see all around us.
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Needs accompanying documentation and visual aides
- By Ryan on 04-04-19
By: Catherine Kleier, and others
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Cosmic Queries
- StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We’re Going
- By: James Trefil, Lindsey N. Walker - editor, Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In this illuminating audiobook, Tyson and coauthor James Trefil, a renowned physicist and science popularizer, take on the big questions that humanity has been posing for millennia - How did life begin? What is our place in the universe? Are we alone? - and provide answers based on the most current data, observations, and theories.
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Not worth it
- By Daniel Earl on 03-15-21
By: James Trefil, and others
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The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
- By: Don Lincoln, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Don Lincoln
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
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At the end of his career, Albert Einstein was pursuing a dream far more ambitious than the theory of relativity. He was trying to find an equation that explained all physical reality - a theory of everything. Experimental physicist and award-winning educator Dr. Don Lincoln takes you on this exciting journey in The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality. Suitable for the intellectually curious at all levels and assuming no background beyond basic high-school math, these 24 half-hour lectures cover recent developments at the forefront of particle physics and cosmology.
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Audible’s Best Science Offering, A Gem
- By MikeB on 12-08-18
By: Don Lincoln, and others
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The Quantum Universe
- (And Why Anything That Can Happen, Does)
- By: Brian Cox, Jeff Forshaw
- Narrated by: Samuel West
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw approach the world of quantum mechanics in the same way they did in Why Does E=mc2? and make fundamental scientific principles accessible - and fascinating - to everyone.The subatomic realm has a reputation for weirdness, spawning any number of profound misunderstandings, journeys into Eastern mysticism, and woolly pronouncements on the interconnectedness of all things. Cox and Forshaw's contention? There is no need for quantum mechanics to be viewed this way.
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Not suitable as an audio book
- By SPN on 03-29-22
By: Brian Cox, and others
What listeners say about Last Ape Standing
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Cpl Punishment
- 03-03-17
Harmed by the Narration
Is there anything you would change about this book?
Teresa DeBerry's narrative style is quite annoying. She sounds like someone accustomed to reading "just so" stories to backward children. Her reading has a soporific rhythm which makes the text seem more tedious than it is. The author has a penchant for using rather shopworn clichés and occasionally applies them incorrectly. For example, he compares the Acheulean handaxe to the Swiss army knife (what a chestnut that one is) but attributes it to the Neolithic period. Furthermore, Mr. Walter writes with a yawn-provoking politically correct style which does nothing but detract from the listener's pleasure
Has Last Ape Standing turned you off from other books in this genre?
Paleoanthropology is a fascinating subject for me, though "Last Ape Standing" has been somewhat disappointing I will continue to seek out titles in this genre.
Would you be willing to try another one of Bernard Clark and Teresa DeBerry ’s performances?
I will probably avoid Ms. DeBerry's performances in the future.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- M. B.
- 04-09-16
amazing
The concepts in this book helped me to appreciate what a truly wonderful and unique development the human race is and how important it is to nurture one's children.
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1 person found this helpful
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- The ghost of Mark Twain Jr. Jr. Jr.
- 04-29-20
Truly worth a deep listen.
For me as being an avid anthropology reader, this book was a great way to get a much larger picture of how of all these hominids had been most likely interacting with each other and or simply just dying off due to various possibilities. And for me the very end is the best part...no spoilers for you.
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- SvZ
- 04-09-17
Great Story, Poor Narration
Would you try another book from Chip Walter and/or Bernard Clark and Teresa DeBerry ?
Would definitely read anything by Chip Walter - well researched and deeply insightful.
What other book might you compare Last Ape Standing to and why?
Reminded me of Sapiens: A Brie History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, where this is more focused on phyiscal evolution rather than cultural development.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Just awful, the worst narrator ever - overly dramatic with the weirdest pronunciation of foreign names, sounded like a Mills & Boon saucy love fest rather than a scholarly work.
Do you think Last Ape Standing needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Sure, there is many areas this books could lead into - a deeper review of Neanderthal civilization might be one such topic.
Any additional comments?
If the topic wasn't so interesting, the narrator could've easily killed this book.
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- Joel
- 04-21-22
one of the best books on human evolution I read
This is one of the best books I've listened to on human evolution .The book was well written and easy to understand. I really appreciate that the author takes the hubris out of the book. which is a common problem I've seen in studies and books discussing human evolution and prehistory.
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- kgohl
- 10-23-15
Drama
I wish Audible would find readers who don't feel the need to dramatize nonfiction. Women readers in particular seem to do this, and in this case it's particularly annoying because she seems to "punch" all the cliches, making them even more hard to listen to.
The reader aside, this book has both compelling and boring moments--but don't we all. It's a good read---I found the sections on the Neanderthals and on the bicameral mind particularly interesting---although occasionally I wondered if the author was verging on pseudoscience.
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2 people found this helpful
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- uvejota
- 12-29-14
This was my second reading of this book
Would you listen to Last Ape Standing again? Why?
Absolutely yes, in fact, this was my second reading of the book (this time in audiobook), maybe that is a oerfect clue about how much I've enjoyed it and how entertaining and enlightening it is.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Steve OBrien
- 09-21-16
Broad social and psychological view of hominids
I listened to this book twice- about one year apart. The book really pushed into psychological and sociological aspects of hominids with very well thought out extrapolations. It is well referenced and balanced. It had a deeper meaning to me on the 2nd read.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Emily C
- 05-28-14
Some interesting info, quite fluffy
This book repeats a lot -- despite the fact that the subject has lots of data that could be included while keeping it interesting. I lost interest because the thinking per minute required dropped too low, even at double speed.
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- Steve E Hambric
- 12-04-16
Wonderful Listen
I learned so much about our past, nature and psychologically during Last Ape Standing, and thoroughly enjoyed the process. Fascinating subject and a narrative filled with thought provoking studies and examples. I normally read business books, and believe a change of pace like this is critical for balance. Highly recommend.
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