Skeleton Keys
The Secret Life of Bone
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Narrated by:
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Will Damron
About this listen
"A provocative and entertaining magical mineral tour through the life and afterlife of bone." (Wall Street Journal)
Our bones have many stories to tell, if you know how to listen.
Bone is a marvel, an adaptable and resilient building material developed over 500 million years of evolutionary history. It gives our bodies their shapes and the ability to move. It grows and changes with us, an undeniable document of who we are and how we lived. Arguably, no other part of the human anatomy has such rich scientific and cultural significance, both brimming with life and a potent symbol of death.
Brian Switek is a charming and enthusiastic osteological raconteur. In this natural and cultural history of bone, he explains where our skeletons came from, what they do inside us, and what others can learn about us when these wondrous assemblies of mineral and protein are all we've left behind.
Bone is as embedded in our culture as it is in our bodies. Our species has made instruments and jewelry from bone, treated the dead like collectors' items, put our faith in skull bumps as guides to human behavior, and arranged skeletons into macabre tributes to the afterlife. Switek makes a compelling case for getting better acquainted with our skeletons, in all their surprising roles. Bridging the worlds of paleontology, anthropology, medicine, and forensics, Skeleton Keys illuminates the complex life of bones inside our bodies and out.
©2019 Brian Switek (P)2019 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“Smart, lively, and hugely informative, Skeleton Keys is the ideal guide to the bones around us and in us.” (Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction)
“A thoughtful, engaging meditation on the origins of the human skeleton, how it functions (or malfunctions) and how we come to terms with our essential but unsettling osseous framework.” (Nature)
“A cheerful popular-science romp through the matter that makes up our skeleton...leaves the beaten path to deliver a fun explanation of the history, function, and cultural meaning of bone.” (Kirkus Reviews)
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- Unlocking the Mysteries of the World's Oldest Symbols
- By: Genevieve von Petzinger
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most significant works on our evolutionary ancestry since Richard Leakey's Origins, The First Signs is the first-ever exploration of the geometric images that accompany most cave art around the world—the first indications of symbolic meaning, intelligence, and language.
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Crawling through caves-a memoir
- By GraceAgnes on 01-27-21
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The Tyrannosaur Chronicles
- By: David Hone
- Narrated by: Gavin Osborn
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Adored by children and adults alike, tyrannosaurus is the most famous dinosaur in the world, one that pops up again and again in pop culture, often battling other beasts such as King Kong, triceratops, or velociraptors in Jurassic Park. But despite the hype, tyrannosaurus and the other tyrannosaurs are fascinating animals in their own right and are among the best-studied of all dinosaurs.
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An Engaging Biography of the King
- By Erik on 08-06-18
By: David Hone
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How to Build a Dinosaur
- Extinction Doesn't Have to Be Forever
- By: Jack Horner, James Gorman
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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In movies, in novels, in comic strips, and on television, we've all seen dinosaurs - or at least somebody's educated guess of what they would look like. But what if it were possible to build, or grow, a real dinosaur without finding ancient DNA? Jack Horner, the scientist who advised Steven Spielberg on the blockbuster film Jurassic Park and a pioneer in bringing paleontology into the 21st century, teams up with the editor of the New York Times's Science Times section to reveal exactly what's in store.
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Good book but misplaced title
- By Robert on 06-19-15
By: Jack Horner, and others
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Almost Human
- The Astonishing Tale of Homo Naledi and the Discovery That Changed Our Human Story
- By: Lee Berger, John Hawks
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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A story of defiance and determination by a controversial scientist, this is Lee Berger's own take on finding Homo naledi, an all-new species on the human family tree and one of the greatest discoveries of the 21st century. In 2013, Lee Berger, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, heard of a cache of bones in a hard-to-reach underground cave in South Africa. He put out a call around the world for petite collaborators - men and women small and adventurous enough to be able to squeeze through eight-inch tunnels to reach a sunless cave forty feet underground. It worked.
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A deep story on the rocky trail to human origins
- By Peter Matthews on 01-14-19
By: Lee Berger, and others
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The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
- A New History of a Lost World
- By: Steve Brusatte
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In this stunning narrative spanning more than 200 million years, Steve Brusatte, a young American paleontologist who has emerged as one of the foremost stars of the field - discovering 10 new species and leading groundbreaking scientific studies and fieldwork - masterfully tells the complete, surprising, and new history of the dinosaurs, drawing on cutting-edge science to dramatically bring to life their lost world and illuminate their enigmatic origins, spectacular flourishing, astonishing diversity, cataclysmic extinction, and startling living legacy.
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"The Rise of the Scientists Who Study Dinosaurs"
- By Daniel Powell on 09-16-18
By: Steve Brusatte
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Ancient Bones
- Unearthing the Astonishing New Story of How We Became Human
- By: Madelaine Böhme
- Narrated by: Aimée Ayotte
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Africa has long been considered the cradle of life - where life and humans evolved - but somewhere west of Munich, Germany, paleoclimatologist and paleontologist Madelaine Böhme and her team make a discovery that is beyond anything they ever imagined: the 12-million-year-old bones of an ancient ape - Danuvius guggenmos - which makes headlines around the world and defies prevailing theories of human history and where human life began.
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Brave Attempt
- By Bill Treat on 10-15-22
By: Madelaine Böhme
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The First Human
- The Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors
- By: Ann Gibbons
- Narrated by: Renee Raudman
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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This dynamic chronicle of the race to find the "missing links" between humans and apes transports readers into the highly competitive world of fossil hunting and into the lives of the ambitious scientists intent on pinpointing the dawn of humankind. The quest to find where and when the earliest human ancestors first appeared is one of the most exciting and challenging of all scientific pursuits.
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Interesting subject, poor execution
- By A book reader on 10-14-06
By: Ann Gibbons
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First Steps
- How Upright Walking Made Us Human
- By: Jeremy DeSilva
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Blending history, science, and culture, a stunning and highly engaging evolutionary story exploring how walking on two legs allowed humans to become the planet’s dominant species.
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Mammalian Bipedalism's Many Layers
- By Sarah C. on 06-07-22
By: Jeremy DeSilva
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Paleontology
- A Brief History of Life
- By: Ian Tattersall
- Narrated by: Brett Barry
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Ian Tattersall, a highly esteemed figure in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, and paleontology, leads a fascinating tour of the history of life and the evolution of human beings. Starting at the very beginning, Tattersall examines patterns of change in the biosphere over time, and the correlations of biological events with physical changes in the Earth's environment.
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great summary of where we are with understanding
- By david on 06-25-11
By: Ian Tattersall
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Cannibalism
- By: Bill Schutt
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Eating one's own kind is a completely natural behavior in thousands of species, including humans. Throughout history we have engaged in cannibalism for reasons related to famine, burial rites, and medicine. Cannibalism has also been used as a form of terrorism and as the ultimate expression of filial piety. With unexpected wit and a wealth of knowledge, Bill Schutt takes us on a tour of the field, exploring exciting new avenues of research and investigating questions like why so many fish eat their offspring and some amphibians consume their mothers' skin.
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Ruined it at the end
- By Kimberly Ames on 12-07-17
By: Bill Schutt
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The Ancestor's Tale
- A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Abridged
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In The Ancestor's Tale, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins offers a masterwork: an exhilarating reverse tour through evolution, from present-day humans back to the microbial beginnings of life four billion years ago. Throughout the journey, Dawkins spins entertaining, insightful stories and sheds light on topics such as speciation, sexual selection, and extinction. The Ancestor's Tale is at once an essential education in evolutionary theory and riveting in its telling.
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Please do an unabridged version!
- By MovieExpertise on 09-29-16
By: Richard Dawkins
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America Before
- The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization
- By: Graham Hancock
- Narrated by: Graham Hancock
- Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Stunning new archaeological discoveries in North America together with new genetic evidence have launched a revolution in our understanding of the remote past of our species and of the origins of civilization. Graham Hancock, the internationally best-selling author has been overwhelmingly vindicated by recent discoveries. America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization is a mind-dilating exploration of the mystery of ancient civilizations, amazing archaeological discoveries, and profound implications for how we lead our lives today.
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Fun to Think About
- By Amazon Customer on 04-26-19
By: Graham Hancock
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I don't leave reviews often, but . . .
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There is a vast class of things that science has so far almost entirely neglected. They are central to the understanding of physical reality both at an everyday level and at the level of the most fundamental phenomena in physics, yet have traditionally been assumed to be impossible to incorporate into fundamental scientific explanations. They are facts not about what is (the actual) but about what could be (counterfactuals).
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The Failed Promise
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A timely review of the threat to the nation of a President who is unlistening to the “better angels of our nature.”
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Classic Bloom, but a curious reading of him
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Pretty light
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Doctor Dogs
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In this groundbreaking audiobook, Goodavage brings us behind the scenes of cutting-edge science at top research centers, and into the lives of people whose well-being depends on their devoted, highly skilled personal MDs (medical dogs). With her signature wit and passion, Goodavage explores how doctor dogs are becoming our happy allies in the fight against dozens of physical and mental conditions.
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Brilliant, eye-opening
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What listeners say about Skeleton Keys
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- GoG'maGo
- 05-10-19
Great insight to my historical ancestry.
Narrated with interest in the subject. Author has a lovely sense of humor and writes in such a manner that a mere plebe as myself finished the book with much learned. Cheers!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Anastassiya
- 06-18-23
Poorly set expectations
The premise is very interesting, however, the title and description are very misleading, as one would expect more of a look into bones rather than into history of their study, which was what I got and which would explain the unexpected political tangents, most of which were quite out of place. It is unfortunate that the political beliefs of the author do not leave a lot of space for neutrality, which undermines the scientific element.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Christine
- 04-30-19
Awesome Book, Read Very Well
My only quibble with this book is the subtitle, "The Secret Life of Bone." I was expecting a book that focused more on bones in a medical way, as was looking forward to that.
However, a more apt subtitle would be "The History of Bones." Once I realized, quite quickly, that this book was more of an historical look at bones--it starts with dinosaurs--I was all in, as the book is fascinating.
There is some medical information, but this book is more of a hybrid anthropological/sociological/historical look at bones. What we can surmise about people from their skeletons. as far as gender, race, etc., was very interesting, as was everything about the acquisition of skeletons--mostly Native American--and the valid controversies surrounding this practice.
Fossils, shrunken heads, selling skulls, racism, --there is a lot in this book, which makes it both educational and entertaining.
I also enjoyed the performer. His tone was great--he was serious when necessary and light when the topic called for that. I never felt like a student sitting in an anatomy class!
Overall, I recommend this book.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Oleg
- 10-02-20
First half great, second disappointing
First half was just great, but than author focused on ethics, racism, etc. instead of biology. That’s a pity, as author could have easily shared more useful knowledge.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Greyson Hall
- 03-27-23
Great overall
If your into odd history and science stuff this is the perfect listen. I have heard it twice all the way through so far and still love it.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Brittany Gappa
- 05-27-23
Not enough fun facts
Best fact I learned was that DNA decays over time, lasting only about 6 million years, so any bones older than that cannot be sequenced. The author added voice to the text by making un-fun puns and strange anecdotes that were distracting. I ended up listening at 1.5 speed and not having any trouble following.
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- George H.
- 04-09-19
us politics,not science
thought it would be a scientific/story book...started espousing American PC prayers 1h in.
I'd love to get my money back.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-28-23
Misinformation
Promising beginning disrupted by sudden regurgitation of misinformation. Not sure if the author just wanted to add shock value, nevertheless, quite disappointing.
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- AMAUS
- 05-15-24
Self congratulatory flagellation
interesting stories sort of, interesting facts sure. Mired with political whining in place of interesting synthesis and story telling. No one cares about your Modern Educational Establishment Orthodox politics. Touch grass. 😑😮💨
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