
The Book of Humans
A Brief History of Culture, Sex, War, and the Evolution of Us
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Narrated by:
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Adam Rutherford
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By:
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Adam Rutherford
About this listen
The best-selling author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived investigates what it means to be human - and animal.
Evolutionary theory has long established that humans are animals: Modern Homo sapiens are primates who share an ancestor with monkeys and other great apes. Our genome is 98 percent identical to a chimpanzee's. And yet we think of ourselves as exceptional. Are we?
In this original and entertaining tour of life on Earth, Adam Rutherford explores the profound paradox of the "human animal". Looking for answers across the animal kingdom, he finds that many things once considered exclusively human are not: In Australia, raptors have been observed starting fires to scatter prey; in Zambia, a chimp named Julie even started a "fashion" of wearing grass in one ear. We aren't the only species that communicates, makes tools, or has sex for reasons other than procreation. But we have developed a culture far more complex than any other we've observed. Why has that happened, and what does it say about us?
The Book of Humans is a new evolutionary history - a synthesis of the latest research on genetics, sex, migration, and much more. It reveals what unequivocally makes us animals - and also why we are truly extraordinary.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 Adam Rutherford (P)2019 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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"A smooth, expert, and often startling history that emphasizes that no behavior separates us from other animals, but we remain an utterly unique species." (Kirkus)
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Badly Abridged
- By Carol L. on 09-19-06
By: Jared Diamond
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Unlocking the Hidden History of DNA
- By: Sam Kean, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Sam Kean
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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Locked inside the DNA of every species that ever lived are endless stories - about origins, ancestors, fate, and much more. Until recently, these secrets were completely inaccessible. But with the help of new technologies, scientists are now reading the hidden history of DNA, making remarkable discoveries about ourselves and our fellow species. Your gateway to this treasure trove of information is Unlocking the Hidden History of DNA, 12 informative and accessible lectures delivered by New York Times best-selling author Sam Kean.
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Great course
- By MyGrnEyesF on 04-29-21
By: Sam Kean, and others
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An Introduction to Information Theory
- Symbols, Signals and Noise
- By: John R. Pierce
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Behind the familiar surfaces of the telephone, radio, and television lies a sophisticated and intriguing body of knowledge known as information theory. This is the theory that has permitted the rapid development of all sorts of communication, from color television to the clear transmission of photographs from the vicinity of Jupiter. Even more revolutionary progress is expected in the future.
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Not bad, but...
- By Jane Doe on 06-26-20
By: John R. Pierce
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Our Inner Ape
- A Leading Primatologist Explains Why We Are Who We Are
- By: Frans de Waal
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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We have long attributed man's violent, aggressive, competitive nature to his animal ancestry. But what if we are just as given to cooperation, empathy, and morality by virtue of our genes? What if our behavior actually makes us apes? What kind of apes are we?
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I loved this book
- By Ruth on 06-22-07
By: Frans de Waal
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Six Impossible Things
- The Mystery of the Quantum World
- By: John Gribbin
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Rules of the quantum world seem to say that a cat can be both alive and dead at the same time and a particle can be in two places at once. And that particle is also a wave; everything in the quantum world can described in terms of waves - or entirely in terms of particles. These interpretations were all established by the end of the 1920s, by Erwin Schrödinger, Werner Heisenberg, Paul Dirac, and others. But no one has yet come up with a common sense explanation of what is going on.
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I didn't know all these different theories of quantum physics existed!
- By David J. on 05-08-25
By: John Gribbin
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50 Great Myths of Human Evolution
- Understanding Misconceptions About Our Origins
- By: John H. Relethford
- Narrated by: Steven Menasche
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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50 Great Myths of Human Evolution uses common misconceptions to explore basic theory and research in human evolution and strengthen critical thinking skills for lay audiences, listeners, and students. Includes myths such as: "Humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs"; "Lucy was so small because she was a child"; "Our ancestors have always made fire"; and "There is a strong relationship between brain size and intelligence."
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Best evolution book I have read.
- By Anthony W. Shallin on 07-02-18
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Beyond Weird
- By: Philip Ball
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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An exhilarating tour of the contemporary quantum landscape, Beyond Weird is a book about what quantum physics really means - and what it doesn't. Science writer Philip Ball offers an up-to-date, accessible account of the quest to come to grips with the most fundamental theory of physical reality, and to explain how its counterintuitive principles underpin the world we experience.
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A difficult listen
- By Ray on 03-17-19
By: Philip Ball
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Creation
- How Science Is Reinventing Life Itself
- By: Adam Rutherford
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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What is life? Humans have been asking this question for thousands of years. But as technology has advanced and our understanding of biology has deepened, the answer has evolved. For decades, scientists have been exploring the limits of nature by modifying and manipulating DNA, cells, and whole organisms to create new ones that could never have previously existed on their own.
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The Goldilocks book on what is life
- By Gary on 07-11-13
By: Adam Rutherford
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The Social Conquest of Earth
- By: Edward O. Wilson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Hogan
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Edward O. Wilson is one of the world’s preeminent biologists, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and the author of more than 25 books. The defining work in a remarkable career, The Social Conquest of Earth boldly addresses age-old questions (Where did we come from? What are we? Where are we going?) while delving into the biological sources of morality, religion, and the creative arts.
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Wow, Wilson has a lot to say and boy can he write.
- By Gary on 05-21-12
By: Edward O. Wilson
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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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Everything All at Once
- How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap into Radical Curiosity and Solve Any Problem
- By: Bill Nye
- Narrated by: Bill Nye
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Everything All at Once is an exciting, inspiring call to unleash the power of the nerd mindset that exists within us all. Nye believes we'll never be able to tackle our society's biggest, most complex problems if we don't even know how to solve the small ones. Step by step, he shows his listeners the key tools behind his everything-all-at-once approach: radical curiosity, a deep desire for a better future, and a willingness to take the actions needed to make it a reality.
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Bill Nye is awesome, but skip this one
- By Evan on 08-15-17
By: Bill Nye
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Seven Skeletons
- The Evolution of the World's Most Famous Human Fossils
- By: Lydia Pyne
- Narrated by: Randye Kaye
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Over the last century, the search for human ancestors has spanned four continents and resulted in the discovery of hundreds of fossils. While most of these discoveries live quietly in museums, there are a few that have become world-renowned celebrity personas. In Seven Skeletons, historian of science Lydia Pyne explores how seven such famous fossils of our ancestors have the social cachet they enjoy today.
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The quality of the audio is not good
- By Walter P. on 11-20-19
By: Lydia Pyne
Very interesting, packed full of information!
loved it!
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Too Short
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Amazing Story!
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A Nice Quick and Interesting Read
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Wow! What a Tour de Force!
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Well written and well narrated
I enjoyed every second of this amazing book
Enjoyed every second of this book
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To know yourself
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The material presented is dense; it might not be as clear to me without previous background knowledge on the topic. Much was familiar, but I found it valuable to view the simplified parts as they make up the complex development of our species. Using a familiar analogy or cliche, this book viewed the "forest" from a distance rather than focusing on each individual "tree or leaf." There is value in doing that. I am impressed with Rutherford's ability to distill this complex subject into an understandable, very accessible book. For me, a second reading would be worthwhile...
This is Worth a Second Listen
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good but not great
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Humanimal is an outstanding read!
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