Being Human

Lewis Dartnell is an astrobiology researcher and professor at the University of Westminster, and also an Honorary Research Associate at University College London (UCL). He is the author of the bestselling books The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch and Origins: How the Earth Shaped Human History, which has been translated into 26 languages. He writes for the Guardian , The Times and New Scientist . Copies of The Knowledge exist on the surface of the Moon, and in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.>

Autorentext
Lewis Dartnell is an astrobiology researcher and professor at the University of Westminster, and also an Honorary Research Associate at University College London (UCL). He is the author of the bestselling books The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch and Origins: How the Earth Shaped Human History, which has been translated into 26 languages. He writes for the Guardian, The Times and New Scientist. Copies of The Knowledge exist on the surface of the Moon, and in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

Klappentext

From evolution to empire, how biology has steered the course of civilisation.

What if the key to understanding human history lies not in politics, but in our own bodies? In Being Human, astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell reveals how our evolution, physiology and psychology have directed the course of empires and ideas.

From the microbes that triggered pandemics to the chemistry that shaped our diets and brains, this is the story of civilisation seen through the lens of biology. Dartnell's trademark clarity and storytelling turn complex science into a thrilling narrative about what makes us who we are - and how biology will shape what comes next.

'Illuminating' Tim Marshall

'Refreshing' Thomas Halliday

'A gripping, red-blooded narrative from a master storyteller' Jo Marchant

Zusammenfassung

'Illuminating' TIM MARSHALL, author of Prisoners of Geography
'Refreshing' THOMAS HALLIDAY, author of Otherlands

Being Human is history made flesh. It will change how you see the world.

We're a wonder of evolution, capable of incredible feats. But we're also deeply flawed. Our bodies and minds often break, fail, and hinder us. To be human is to live with this extraordinary contradiction. So, to understand the course humanity has taken from prehistoric times through the age of empire and into the modern era we must understand who, and what, we are.

Lewis Dartnell takes us on a mind-expanding journey across time to show how our biology has determined history. From the epidemic that brought Europe's peasants freedom, to the health deficiency which gave rise to the world's largest criminal organisation, to the cognitive biases that led to military catastrophes in Crimea and Iraq, we see how our unique nature shaped our relationships, economies and societies and, importantly, how it continues to impact human progress today.

'This book is quite literally wonderful' ED CONWAY, author of Material World
'A wild ride' TIM HARFORD, author of How to Make the World Add Up
'A gripping, red-blooded narrative from a master storyteller' JO MARCHANT, author of Cure