Future Humans

Inside the Science of Our Continuing Evolution

By: Scott Solomon

Narrated by: Donald Corren

Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

In this intriguing book, evolutionary biologist Scott Solomon draws on the explosion of discoveries in recent years to examine the future evolution of our species. Combining knowledge of our past with current trends, Solomon offers convincing evidence that evolutionary forces still affect us today. But how will modernization - including longer lifespans, changing diets, global travel, and widespread use of medicine and contraceptives - affect our evolutionary future?

Solomon presents an entertaining and accessible review of the latest research on human evolution in modern times, drawing on fields from genomics to medicine and the study of our microbiome. Surprising insights on topics ranging from the rise of online dating and Cesarean sections to the spread of diseases such as HIV and Ebola suggest that we are entering a new phase in human evolutionary history - one that makes the future less predictable and more interesting than ever before.

©2016 Scott Solomon (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This book is a fascinating excursion through natural selection in our own time, and what it may mean for the future." (Carl Zimmer, author of Parasite Rex)

Interesting

The book was not riveting, but it certainly was interesting. There was a lot of information to absorb and I got a lot more out of it after listening to it the second time through. The book was better than I expected in terms of real data-based and statistically based predictions of future genetic changes. Well worth listening - it has given me things to think about.

Enjoyable and clear enough for this layman.

Like all of the good science books I have enjoyed this book answered questions I didn't yet know to ask. Good narration.

Interesting ....

I left a great review as the narration and subject matter presented was interesting and informative.

Evolution theory, for whatever it really is, is always backwards looking. This book explains some things needed to get a dim glance at the future. This is great for explanations of the (perhaps) present way of things and why the way things are the way they are possibly; but poor for engineering or predicting.

I have listened to a few other Evolutionary type books, Evolutionary Psychology I & II (which is closer to my interests and studies), and Evolutionary Biology (which is largely what "Future Humans" is made up of.) And others are planned in audio in this lecture series take on Evolution WRT the human condition. The jump from a creature in the forest to being a creature that now has a brain that can do what it does --- happened very quickly, We went from being dull and plodding to something electric, like we can now each play, "Switched on Bach"..

He only mentions Crispr and the idea of extinction WRT the future human. While Crispr is new and exciting, we do not know near enough about genetics to do this well to a large extent. And the current dynamic of population migration and industrial technology's impacts on our evolutionary state, going into the future is to soon to know, and not well understood. as to its possible impact.

I don't feel like they explain well the current state of mind of current people, though it does cover the how and possible why of our overall condition (especially in evolutionary psychology). Which is why creationists do push back on Evolution as an idea.- It does not explain near enough to suit our current frame of mind at all: nor does psychology in general do this well.

Religion also has no clue - it seems more a limbic system palliative.

But Evolution as a theory does make history and genetics a more interesting story (more the cause of our condition rather than the rule, not that we really understand all the ins-and-outs of what we are.

But it does make for compelling narrative and interesting evidence to support the idea of evolution as a theory as we turn to genetics with harder problems and questions.

Strange Theosophy - science and its purveyors do come off that way to me most often, and yet I like science and its methods.

mostly about past and present humans

he didn't really talk about future humans until late in the book. Doesn't even mention CRISPR or Biological immortality or nanobots.