Your Inner Fish: A Journey Through the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body
Paleontology and humor
“The best road maps to human bodies lie in the
bodies of other animals,” Neil Shubin writes in his new book. “The
reason is that the bodies of these creatures are often simpler versions of
ours.”
In Your Inner Fish, Shubin…uses new fossil finds, genetic discoveries and animal anatomy to trace the origins of humans and the evolution of different body parts, such as limbs, teeth, head, ears and eyes. He explains how everything that is apparently unique about humans is built from parts that are shared with other creatures.
“I was hooked from the first chapter,” writes paleoanthropologist Don Johanson, co-discoverer of Lucy. “Creationists will want this book banned because it presents irrefutable evidence for a transitional creature that set the stage for the journey from sea to land. This engaging book combines the excitement of discovery with the rigors of great scholarship to provide a convincing case of evolution from fish to man…”
Shubin tells this story not only to the scientist, but also to the lay reader. His message is the same: “I can imagine few things more beautiful or intellectually profound than finding the basis for our humanity,” he writes, “and remedies for many of the ills we suffer, nestled inside some of the most humble creatures that have ever lived on our planet.”
Shubin’s writing delightfully and accurately talks to the whole range of potential readers.
I wish this had been available for Giftmas. Publication is next week, 15th January.
In Your Inner Fish, Shubin…uses new fossil finds, genetic discoveries and animal anatomy to trace the origins of humans and the evolution of different body parts, such as limbs, teeth, head, ears and eyes. He explains how everything that is apparently unique about humans is built from parts that are shared with other creatures.
“I was hooked from the first chapter,” writes paleoanthropologist Don Johanson, co-discoverer of Lucy. “Creationists will want this book banned because it presents irrefutable evidence for a transitional creature that set the stage for the journey from sea to land. This engaging book combines the excitement of discovery with the rigors of great scholarship to provide a convincing case of evolution from fish to man…”
Shubin tells this story not only to the scientist, but also to the lay reader. His message is the same: “I can imagine few things more beautiful or intellectually profound than finding the basis for our humanity,” he writes, “and remedies for many of the ills we suffer, nestled inside some of the most humble creatures that have ever lived on our planet.”
Shubin’s writing delightfully and accurately talks to the whole range of potential readers.
I wish this had been available for Giftmas. Publication is next week, 15th January.
Posted: Wed - January 9, 2008 at 06:36 AM