Fossil Men

The Quest for the Oldest Skeleton and the Origins of Humankind

De: Kermit Pattison

Narrado por: Roger Wayne

A behind-the-scenes account of the discovery of the oldest skeleton of a human ancestor, named "Ardi"—a find that shook the world of paleoanthropology and radically altered our understanding of human evolution.

In 1994, a team led by fossil-hunting legend Tim White—"the Steve Jobs of paleoanthropology"—uncovered the bones of a human ancestor in Ethiopia's Afar region. Radiometric dating of nearby rocks indicated the skeleton, classified as Ardipithecus ramidus, was 4.4 million years old, more than a million years older than "Lucy," then the oldest known human ancestor. The findings challenged many assumptions about human evolution—how we started walking upright, how we evolved our nimble hands, and, most significantly, whether we were descended from an ancestor that resembled today's chimpanzee—and repudiated a half-century of paleoanthropological orthodoxy.

Fossil Men is the first full-length exploration of Ardi, the fossil men who found her, and her impact on what we know about the origins of the human species. It is a scientific detective story played out in anatomy and the natural history of the human body. Kermit Pattison brings into focus a cast of eccentric, obsessive scientists, including one of the world's greatest fossil hunters, Tim White—an exacting and unforgiving fossil hunter whose virtuoso skills in the field were matched only by his propensity for making enemies; Gen Suwa, a Japanese savant who sometimes didn't bother going home at night to devote more hours to science; Owen Lovejoy, a onetime creationist-turned-paleoanthropologist; Berhane Asfaw, who survived imprisonment and torture to become Ethiopia's most senior paleoanthropologist and who fought for African scientists to gain equal footing in the study of human origins; and the Leakeys, for decades the most famous family in paleoanthropology.

An intriguing tale of scientific discovery, obsession and rivalry that moves from the sun-baked desert of Africa and a nation caught in a brutal civil war, to modern high-tech labs and academic lecture halls, Fossil Men is popular science at its best, and a must-listen for fans of Jared Diamond, Richard Dawkins, and Edward O. Wilson.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Kermit Pattison (P)2020 HarperAudio

Discovery told well

thank you for writing such an interesting treatise for people like myself who do not have the specific education but the interest in the spectrum of our ancestors. this writing kept me interested throughout its entirety and still fascinated and grateful for the work the people have done towards finding our ancestors.

Science Geek loved it..

But the average reader might not understand the significance of the book. “Doing science” in any context is challenging. Recognizing the pitfalls of dedication is the main takeaway for me with this book.

Many interesting people

A little difficult to keep up with the many characters but well worth the listen

Oh narrator

I would wager that Tim White or Owen Lovejoy could not listen to the end of the audio version with a single hair on their heads intact. The slaughter of pronunciation of anatomical and scientific terms was exhausting. Not the narrator (actor) fault. The audiobook publisher should review scientific term pronunciation beforehand with the narrator. Excellent story.

Informative investigations of humans’ beginnings

Narration is clear and professional.

Informative and engaging descriptions and explanations of rival theories and evidence of human origin. The controversies based on conflicting interpretations of of archaeological remains is the heart of this analysis and is informative.

Scientific method subject to human emotion

A very compelling story, so well written, character development couldn't have been better, the narrator is a 10, and it is a true story. The scientific discovey of Ardi is profoundly life changing, and that story is eclipsed by the human influence on the scientific method. Science is a flawed human endeavor fraught with ego, jealousy, and ambition. You'll never look at scientific method the same way again. I loved it!

Excellent

The author has combined a depth of research, an ability to explain highly technical information in lay terms and the facility to tell extraordinary story.

Fossil Men carry on

Riveting. I went to school or studied with many of these men before switching to a lab science 40 years ago. The field was quite male dominated. While not the Double Helix, there is good science here and the competitiveness of research rings true. If you liked Watson's book you will like this.

If you get the audio version download the pdf. And if you do not have an anatomy background, get an anatomy for dummies type book.

The narrator has a good voice, but does not know how to pronounce scientific and Latin derived words. Sometimes his attempt to mimic voices of the principals is awful and misleading.

Well done!!

I loved archeology and geology in junior high school. I wished I thought about a career in the field. I don’t have a science background but there was little I didn’t understand and this book. Soooo well done!!

Excellent overview of where the research stands

I enjoyed this book a lot. It had just the right pace to listen to as I drove around town. The narration is excellent and the story well written. If you have an interest in early man, this book is for you. Bravo!