The Story of the Human Body

Evolution, Health, and Disease

By: Daniel Lieberman

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

In this landmark book of popular science, Daniel E. Lieberman - chair of the department of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and a leader in the field - gives us a lucid and engaging account of how the human body evolved over millions of years, even as it shows how the increasing disparity between the jumble of adaptations in our Stone Age bodies and advancements in the modern world is occasioning this paradox: greater longevity but increased chronic disease.

The Story of the Human Body brilliantly illuminates as never before the major transformations that contributed key adaptations to the body: the rise of bipedalism; the shift to a non-fruit-based diet; the advent of hunting and gathering, leading to our superlative endurance athleticism; the development of a very large brain; and the incipience of cultural proficiencies. Lieberman also elucidates how cultural evolution differs from biological evolution, and how our bodies were further transformed during the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions.

While these ongoing changes have brought about many benefits, they have also created conditions to which our bodies are not entirely adapted, Lieberman argues, resulting in the growing incidence of obesity and new but avoidable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Lieberman proposes that many of these chronic illnesses persist and in some cases are intensifying because of "dysevolution," a pernicious dynamic whereby only the symptoms rather than the causes of these maladies are treated. And finally - provocatively - he advocates the use of evolutionary information to help nudge, push, and sometimes even compel us to create a more salubrious environment.

©2013 Daniel Lieberman (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"No one understands the human body like Daniel Lieberman or tells its story more eloquently. He's found a tale inside our skin that's riveting, enlightening, and more than a little frightening." (Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run)

"Monumental: The Story of the Human Body, by one of our leading experts, takes us on an epic voyage that reveals how the past six million years shaped every part of us - our heads, limbs, and even our metabolism. Through Lieberman's eyes, evolutionary history not only comes alive, it becomes the means to understand, and ultimately influence, our body's future." (Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish)

"A lucid, engaging account of how the human body evolved and the increasing disparity between the jumble of adaptations in our Stone Age bodies and the modern world." ( Publishers Weekly)

A great story of the human body

The book was so detailed that I cannot think of anything that I disliked. I was fascinated by the overall story of the human body which kept me hooked. The author goes into a lot of detail, which I personally enjoyed. To me this was a great read to explore the mysteries of life.

Amazing book that will change your worldview

Dr. Daniel Lieberman has a fantastic ability to squeeze lots of credible science into an easy-to-follow narrative. But the book is more than just lessons in evolutionary biology; Lieberman pushes readers to think about the practical applications of the science, and posits his own ideas of what the key takeaways are for our lives and society, while never exceeding the limits of what credible science has shown us.

A must read for every human!

Very informative book, relevant no matter what you do for a living
I like the stories, details and overall information about the human body and how evolution got us here
Is not a textbook history of the human evolution but rather an interesting book

Great narration as well

Everything you wanted to know about us

Thoroughly enjoyed learning so much about who we are today by observing who we were yesterday. Well thought out. Great common sense insights on all things human. I am very happy with what I learned.

They should make us read this book in high school

I think this is the first time I rate a book with five stars for both story and performance. So many of the diseases prevalent in modern societies (e.g., Type 2 diabetes) are called "mismatch disease" because they are caused by mismatch of the modern life style such as abundance of food (of unbalanced kind) vs. our evolutionary tendency to store fat and sugar when we can because food was scarce. This book provides a comprehensive view on how we humans developed since our ancestors started walking on two feet. The author has a rare quality of being able to translate his research expertise to its public health implications. I feel lucky to be alive in this age when books like this can teach us the evolutionary perspective on how we are living now compared to the past and what can be improved. It is also devastating to know that so many of modern diseases are preventable, and yet, important information like this has not seeped into the mainstream culture.

required knowledge

without this knowledge we are shooting blind at many important medical issues. I would have given all five stars, but the book was unnecessarily repetitive.

Amazing!!

What an amazing book! Listened twice some chapters to make sure I got the information right! Everyone should read or listen to this book, either you are in the healthcare or fitness field or just care to know a little more about your body!!! Absolutely loved it!!!

Interesting

I'm thinking had some interesting theories. A lot of good science involved from the nutritional aspect. Overall pretty good book I would give it a shot especially if it's something that interest you

Narrator

The narrators way of speech does not do justice to the book .
Is distracting and disengaging

Superb

Narration: Perfect

Content: Fascinating, clearly explained, informative, profound integration of evolutionary theory, archaeology, history of human development, cultural sensitivity, health, etiology and cautionary understanding of disease, and paradigmatic exemplar of how to write science for the lay public.

Summary Evaluation: Highly Recommended!