"A celebrated science writer draws upon the most recent discoveries in paleoarchaeology and evolutionary biology to present the seven most important steps leading to Homo sapiens"-- Provided by publisher.

Part memoir, part scientific investigation, Racing the Clock is the book biologist and natural historian Bernd Heinrich has been waiting his entire life to write. A dedicated and accomplished marathon (and ultra-marathon) runner who won his first marathon at age thirty-nine, Heinrich looks deeply at running, aging, and the body, exploring the unresolved relationship between metabolism, diet, exercise, and age. Why do some bodies age differently than...

"Our species' pervasive presence on the planet is the combined result of two powerful forces: earth's rich natural endowments and humanity's ability to manipulate nature. From our ability to control fire to our expertise in breeding palatable plants, from our capacity to ship fertilizer across the Atlantic to our skill in selectively tinkering with plant genomes, DeFries describes the ingenious manipulations of nature that have enabled humankind to...

Biologist Nathaniel Jeanson researches DNA and Y-chromosome phylogeny from a creationist standpoint to chart ancestors of modern day Italians, Egyptians and more. "Recent genetic discoveries are shocking - so shocking that you might be tempted to dismiss them. The focus begins on the historical and genetic searches on seven ancient or prehistorical (i.e., pre-written records) civilizations - those of the ancient Egyptians, the ancient Romans, the...

"Each of us is endowed with an inheritance-a set of evolved biases and cultural tools that shape every facet of our behavior. For countless generations, this inheritance has taken us to ever greater heights: driving the rise of more sophisticated technologies, more organized religions, more expansive empires. But now, for the first time, it's failing us. We find ourselves hurtling toward a future of unprecedented political polarization, deadlier war,...

Nova and National Geographic present exclusive access to an astounding discovery of ancient fossil human ancestors. Deep in a South African cave, a special team of experts has brought to light an unprecedented wealth of fossils belonging to a crucial gap in the record of our origins that spans the transition between the ape-like australopithecines (such as the famous Lucy) and the earliest members of the human family.

What enabled us to go from simple stone tools to smartphones? How did bands of hunter-gatherers evolve into multinational empires? Readers of Sapiens will say a cognitive revolution -- a dramatic evolutionary change that altered our brains, turning primitive humans into modern ones -- caused a cultural explosion. In Transcendence, Gaia Vince argues instead that modern humans are the product of a nuanced coevolution of our genes, environment, and culture...

This is the story of all of us. The unauthorised biography of you (abridged). Charting your incredible journey from Big Bang to birth (in about the time it takes to eat your breakfast), this is a book created to raise more questions that it answers.