Origins

How Earth's History Shaped Human History

De: Lewis Dartnell

Narrado por: John Sackville

A New York Times-bestselling author explains how the physical world shaped the history of our species
When we talk about human history, we often focus on great leaders, population forces, and decisive wars. But how has the earth itself determined our destiny? Our planet wobbles, driving changes in climate that forced the transition from nomadism to farming. Mountainous terrain led to the development of democracy in Greece. Atmospheric circulation patterns later on shaped the progression of global exploration, colonization, and trade. Even today, voting behavior in the south-east United States ultimately follows the underlying pattern of 75 million-year-old sediments from an ancient sea. Everywhere is the deep imprint of the planetary on the human.
From the cultivation of the first crops to the founding of modern states, Origins reveals the breathtaking impact of the earth beneath our feet on the shape of our human civilizations.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Origins is a Big History, a grand synthesis that draws from many fields.... Mr. Dartnell's breezy style is full of word play, setting him far from the plodding crowd of many science writers."—Wall Street Journal

"Dartnell's approach is encyclopedic, marked by both a broad sweep and a passion for details."—Washington Post

"Dartnell's story is beautifully written and organized. His infectious curiosity and enthusiasm tug the reader from page to page, synthesizing geology, oceanography, meteorology, geography, palaeontology, archaeology and political history in a manner that recalls Jared Diamond's classic 1997 book Guns, Germs, and Steel."—Nature

"Fascinating."—The Guardian (UK)

"Behind the human brilliance that historians recognize in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece,Dartnell discerns the effects of the plate-tectonic geology that created environments favorable to suchinnovation. To Dartnell's acute eye, later periods of human history likewise reflect the geodynamics of anevolving planet....Penetrating geosciencedelivers the surprising backstory of human history."—Booklist

"A thoughtful history of our species as a product of 4 billion years of geology.... Dartnell is an engaging guide through millions of years of history. An expert chronicle of the Earth that culminates in human civilization."—Kirkus Reviews

"Extraordinary book... Dartnell offers a new perspective on the relationship between human beings and their planet... Dartnell understands geology, geography, anthropology, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and history. That's quite an achievement, but what makes him special is the way he communicates the interconnectedness of these disciplines in a clear, logical and entertaining way...Superb."—The Times (UK)

"The perfect blend of science and history. This is a book that will not only challenge our preconceptions about the past, but should make us think very carefully about humanity's future. Five stars."—Mail on Sunday (UK)

"The central project of this book -- providing a geological take on human history -- is well illustrated and at moments, surprising."—Publishers Weekly

"A sweeping, brilliant overview of the history of not only of our species but of the world. Whether discussing the formation of continents or the role that climate (and climate change) has had on human migration, Lewis Dartnell has a rare talent in being able to see the big picture -- and explaining why it matters."—Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads

One valley in Africa

All of covilization from antiquity to modernity is from the resources the Earth provides and the challenges it has created for humanity. In facing our current climate challenge, we see in the Earth history a forecast for what will come if we do not meet this challenge. The Earth will be find, life will still exist, but all of the conditions that made human civilization thrive will be extinguished for millions of years.

This book is striking in how it tells the history of the planet and how we got here. Take a look at the extra material from the publisher’s website for maps and teaching aids

Great work

I loved this book. Never really thought about the way he describes our human evolution, but it’s a fascinating timeline.

loved it

everything about this is excellent. Facebook at some redundancy 2 a history of life but has many other parts of information that makes it fascinating.

We are more connected than we realize!

This book explains where we came from, what we are and all of the different dimensions of the inter-relationships of all organisms on earth. Dartnell does a fantastic job explaining all of this, with detailed geological, biological and social explanations for how we got to now, including the present climate crisis. Would love to see this tied into a forward looking analysis of where we go from here.

Geology The Traction To Civilization

Fascinating tale of how geology is the traction to civilization. A little less redundancy in the telling perhaps?

Excelente

De una entretenida manera el autor explica las varoables que moldearon el desarrollo de nuestra especie.

fascinating perspective

narrator has a soothing voice. Listened to the content many times and now if I have trouble sleeping, I'll listen. not boring, just relaxing!

Fascinating history of planet and people

Showing how the planets’s geographic changes have affected evolution and humanities development is fascinating. Great info and well written.

Great book

Very interesting book about the origins of humans going into details and info that one doesn’t usually hear about. Highly recommend

Good Perspective

This book puts a good perspective on where we are now, where we came from, and and how the Earth and it's climate have shaped Humans from billions of years before their existence.