-
The Origin of Humankind
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
The Origin of Humankind
Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Lucy
- The Beginnings of Humankind
- By: Donald C. Johanson, Maitland Edey
- Narrated by: Donald C. Johanson
- Length: 14 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 62
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
When Donald Johanson found a partial skeleton, approximately 3.5 million years old, in a remote region of Ethiopia in 1974, a headline-making controversy was launched that continues today. Bursting with all the suspense and intrigue of a fast-paced adventure novel, here is Johanson’s lively account of the extraordinary discovery of “Lucy.” By expounding the controversial change Lucy makes in our view of human origins, Johanson provides a vivid, behind-the-scenes account of the history of paleoanthropology and the colorful, eccentric characters who were, and are, a part of it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Powerful and terrific
- By Peter S. Saucier on 01-08-20
By: Donald C. Johanson, and others
-
Fossil Men
- The Quest for the Oldest Skeleton and the Origins of Humankind
- By: Kermit Pattison
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 504
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 425
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 420
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. The findings challenged many assumptions about human evolution and repudiated a half-century of paleoanthropological orthodoxy. An intriguing tale of scientific discovery, obsession and rivalry that moves from the sun-baked desert of Africa 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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Oh narrator
- By Paul on 01-21-21
By: Kermit Pattison
-
The Sediments of Time
- My Lifelong Search for the Past
- By: Meave Leakey, Samira Leakey
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
Preeminent paleoanthropologist Meave Leakey brings us along on her remarkable journey to reveal the diversity of our early pre-human ancestors and how past climate change drove their evolution. She offers a fresh account of our past, as recent breakthroughs have allowed new analysis of her team’s fossil findings and vastly expanded our understanding of our ancestors. Meave’s own personal story is replete with drama, from thrilling discoveries on the shores of Lake Turkana to run-ins with armed herders and every manner of wildlife, to raising her children....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Brilliant!
- By tess koffler on 04-07-21
By: Meave Leakey, and others
-
Cave of Bones
- By: Lee Berger, John Hawks
- Narrated by: Lee Berger
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 208
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 180
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 180
In the summer of 2022, Lee Berger lost 50 pounds in order to wriggle though impossibly small openings in the Rising Star cave complex in South Africa—spaces where his team has been unearthing the remains of Homo naledi, a proto-human likely to have coexisted with Homo sapiens some 250,000 years ago. Lead researcher Berger had never made his way into the dark, cramped, dangerous underground spaces where many of the naledi fossils had been found. Now he was ready to do so. Once inside the cave, Berger made shocking new discoveries that expand our understanding of this early hominid.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Engaging and interesting but may trigger claustrophobia
- By M on 09-03-23
By: Lee Berger, and others
-
The World Before Us
- The New Science Behind Our Human Origins
- By: Tom Higham
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 137
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 122
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 123
A fascinating investigation of the origin of humans based on incredible new discoveries and advanced scientific technology.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderfully Accessible
- By Deborah N on 11-02-21
By: Tom Higham
-
First Steps
- How Upright Walking Made Us Human
- By: Jeremy DeSilva
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 120
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 118
Blending history, science, and culture, a stunning and highly engaging evolutionary story exploring how walking on two legs allowed humans to become the planet’s dominant species.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Mammalian Bipedalism's Many Layers
- By Sarah C. on 06-07-22
By: Jeremy DeSilva
-
Lucy
- The Beginnings of Humankind
- By: Donald C. Johanson, Maitland Edey
- Narrated by: Donald C. Johanson
- Length: 14 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 62
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
When Donald Johanson found a partial skeleton, approximately 3.5 million years old, in a remote region of Ethiopia in 1974, a headline-making controversy was launched that continues today. Bursting with all the suspense and intrigue of a fast-paced adventure novel, here is Johanson’s lively account of the extraordinary discovery of “Lucy.” By expounding the controversial change Lucy makes in our view of human origins, Johanson provides a vivid, behind-the-scenes account of the history of paleoanthropology and the colorful, eccentric characters who were, and are, a part of it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Powerful and terrific
- By Peter S. Saucier on 01-08-20
By: Donald C. Johanson, and others
-
Fossil Men
- The Quest for the Oldest Skeleton and the Origins of Humankind
- By: Kermit Pattison
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 504
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 425
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 420
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. The findings challenged many assumptions about human evolution and repudiated a half-century of paleoanthropological orthodoxy. An intriguing tale of scientific discovery, obsession and rivalry that moves from the sun-baked desert of Africa 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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Oh narrator
- By Paul on 01-21-21
By: Kermit Pattison
-
The Sediments of Time
- My Lifelong Search for the Past
- By: Meave Leakey, Samira Leakey
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
Preeminent paleoanthropologist Meave Leakey brings us along on her remarkable journey to reveal the diversity of our early pre-human ancestors and how past climate change drove their evolution. She offers a fresh account of our past, as recent breakthroughs have allowed new analysis of her team’s fossil findings and vastly expanded our understanding of our ancestors. Meave’s own personal story is replete with drama, from thrilling discoveries on the shores of Lake Turkana to run-ins with armed herders and every manner of wildlife, to raising her children....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Brilliant!
- By tess koffler on 04-07-21
By: Meave Leakey, and others
-
Cave of Bones
- By: Lee Berger, John Hawks
- Narrated by: Lee Berger
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 208
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 180
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 180
In the summer of 2022, Lee Berger lost 50 pounds in order to wriggle though impossibly small openings in the Rising Star cave complex in South Africa—spaces where his team has been unearthing the remains of Homo naledi, a proto-human likely to have coexisted with Homo sapiens some 250,000 years ago. Lead researcher Berger had never made his way into the dark, cramped, dangerous underground spaces where many of the naledi fossils had been found. Now he was ready to do so. Once inside the cave, Berger made shocking new discoveries that expand our understanding of this early hominid.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Engaging and interesting but may trigger claustrophobia
- By M on 09-03-23
By: Lee Berger, and others
-
The World Before Us
- The New Science Behind Our Human Origins
- By: Tom Higham
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 137
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 122
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 123
A fascinating investigation of the origin of humans based on incredible new discoveries and advanced scientific technology.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderfully Accessible
- By Deborah N on 11-02-21
By: Tom Higham
-
First Steps
- How Upright Walking Made Us Human
- By: Jeremy DeSilva
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 120
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 118
Blending history, science, and culture, a stunning and highly engaging evolutionary story exploring how walking on two legs allowed humans to become the planet’s dominant species.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Mammalian Bipedalism's Many Layers
- By Sarah C. on 06-07-22
By: Jeremy DeSilva
-
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals
- A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us
- By: Steve Brusatte
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 464
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 385
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 386
We humans are the inheritors of a dynasty that has reigned over the planet for nearly 66 million years, through fiery cataclysm and ice ages: the mammals. Our lineage includes saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths, armadillos the size of a car, cave bears three times the weight of a grizzly, clever scurriers that outlasted Tyrannosaurus rex, and even other types of humans, like Neanderthals.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fantastic Book
- By Peter Jensen on 09-08-22
By: Steve Brusatte
-
A Brief History of Time
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Michael Jackson
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,734
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,031
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,994
This landmark book is for those of us who prefer words to equations; this is the story of the ultimate quest for knowledge, the ongoing search for the secrets at the heart of time and space. Its author, Stephen W. Hawking, is arguably the greatest mind since Einstein. From the vantage point of the wheelchair, where he has spent the last 20 years trapped by Lou Gehrig's disease, Professor Hawking has transformed our view of the universe. A Brief History of Time is Hawking's classic introduction to today's most important scientific ideas.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Easily Digestible Presentation of Complex Topics
- By James on 05-19-04
By: Stephen Hawking
-
Homo Sapiens Rediscovered
- The Scientific Revolution Rewriting Our Origins
- By: Paul Pettitt
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18
Who are we? How do scientists define Homo sapiens, and how does our species differ from the extinct hominins that came before us? In this accessible account palaeoarchaeologist Paul Pettitt shows how the latest scientific advances, especially in genetics, are revolutionizing our understanding of human evolution. Pettitt reveals the extraordinary story of how our ancestors adapted to unforgiving and relentlessly changing climates, leading to remarkable innovations in art, technology, and society that we are only now beginning to comprehend.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A Good Overview
- By Brandon on 02-08-23
By: Paul Pettitt
-
The First Human
- The Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors
- By: Ann Gibbons
- Narrated by: Renee Raudman
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 99
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 44
This dynamic chronicle of the race to find the "missing links" between humans and apes transports readers into the highly competitive world of fossil hunting and into the lives of the ambitious scientists intent on pinpointing the dawn of humankind. The quest to find where and when the earliest human ancestors first appeared is one of the most exciting and challenging of all scientific pursuits.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting subject, poor execution
- By A book reader on 10-14-06
By: Ann Gibbons
-
Masters of the Planet
- The Search for Our Human Origins
- By: Ian Tattersall
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
Fifty thousand years ago - merely a blip in evolutionary time - our Homo sapiens ancestors were competing for existence with several other human species, just as their precursors had done for millions of years. Yet something about our species distinguished it from the pack, and ultimately led to its survival while the rest became extinct. Just what was it that allowed Homo sapiens to become masters of the planet? Ian Tattersall, curator emeritus at the American Museum of Natural History, takes us deep into the fossil record to uncover what made humans so special.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Book, Some Sloppy Editing
- By DB on 11-23-20
By: Ian Tattersall
-
The Big Picture
- On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself
- By: Sean Carroll
- Narrated by: Sean Carroll
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,092
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,720
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,691
Already internationally acclaimed for his elegant, lucid writing on the most challenging notions in modern physics, Sean Carroll is emerging as one of the greatest humanist thinkers of his generation as he brings his extraordinary intellect to bear not only on the Higgs boson and extra dimensions but now also on our deepest personal questions. Where are we? Who are we? Are our emotions, our beliefs, and our hopes and dreams ultimately meaningless out there in the void?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
ABSOLUTE MUST READ!
- By serine on 05-12-16
By: Sean Carroll
-
A Story of Us
- A New Look at Human Evolution
- By: Lesley Newson, Pete Richerson
- Narrated by: Mike Cooper
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
In A Story of Us, they present this rich narrative and explain how the evolution of our genes relates to the evolution of our cultures. Newson and Richerson take listeners through seven stages of human evolution, beginning seven million years ago with the apes that were the ancestors of humans and today's chimps and bonobos. The story ends in the present day and offers a glimpse into the future.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A glimpse into the lives of our ancestors.
- By Casey B. on 07-22-22
By: Lesley Newson, and others
-
Before the Dawn
- Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors
- By: Nicholas Wade
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 925
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 516
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 517
Just in the last three years a flood of new scientific findings, driven by revelations discovered in the human genome, has provided compelling new answers to many long-standing mysteries about our most ancient ancestors, the people who first evolved in Africa and then went on to colonize the whole world. Nicholas Wade weaves this host of news-making findings together for the first time into an intriguing new history of the human story before the dawn of civilization.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing information
- By Albert on 06-15-07
By: Nicholas Wade
-
Ancient Bones
- Unearthing the Astonishing New Story of How We Became Human
- By: Madelaine Böhme
- Narrated by: Aimée Ayotte
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
Africa has long been considered the cradle of life - where life and humans evolved - but somewhere west of Munich, Germany, paleoclimatologist and paleontologist Madelaine Böhme and her team make a discovery that is beyond anything they ever imagined: the 12-million-year-old bones of an ancient ape - Danuvius guggenmos - which makes headlines around the world and defies prevailing theories of human history and where human life began.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Brave Attempt
- By Bill Treat on 10-15-22
By: Madelaine Böhme
-
Being Human: Life Lessons from the Frontiers of Science
- By: Robert Sapolsky, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: The Great Courses
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,619
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,423
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,414
Understanding our humanity - the essence of who we are - is one of the deepest mysteries and biggest challenges in modern science. Why do we have bad moods? Why are we capable of having such strange dreams? How can metaphors in our language hold such sway on our actions? As we learn more about the mechanisms of human behavior through evolutionary biology, neuroscience, anthropology, and other related fields, we're discovering just how intriguing the human species is.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Somewhat Interesting but not Quite as Advertised
- By Adam J Duhame on 10-05-13
By: Robert Sapolsky, and others
-
England: From the Fall of Rome to the Norman Conquest
- By: Jennifer Paxton, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Jennifer Paxton
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 290
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 242
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 240
England: From the Fall of Rome to the Norman Conquest takes you through the mists of time to the rugged landscape of the British Isles. Over the course of 24 sweeping lectures, Professor Jennifer Paxton of The Catholic University of America surveys the forging of a great nation from a series of warring kingdoms and migrating peoples. From Germanic tribes to Viking invasions to Irish missionaries, she brings to life an underexamined time and place.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful
- By Anonymous User on 12-10-22
By: Jennifer Paxton, and others
-
Blueprint
- The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society
- By: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Narrated by: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 901
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 771
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 763
For too long, scientists have focused on the dark side of our biological heritage: our capacity for aggression, cruelty, prejudice, and self-interest. But natural selection has given us a suite of beneficial social features, including our capacity for love, friendship, cooperation, and learning. Beneath all our inventions - our tools, farms, machines, cities, nations - we carry with us innate proclivities to make a good society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Many interesting thoughts
- By Jonas Blomberg Ghini on 06-01-19
Publisher's summary
"The name Leakey is synonymous with the study of human origins", wrote The New York Times. The renowned family of paleontologists - Louis Leakey, Mary Leakey, and their son Richard Leakey - has vastly expanded our understanding of human evolution.
The Origin of Humankind is Richard Leakey's personal view of the development of Homo sapiens. At the heart of his new picture of evolution is the introduction of a heretical notion: Once the first apes walked upright, the evolution of modern humans became possible and perhaps inevitable. From this one evolutionary step comes all the other evolutionary refinements and distinctions that set the human race apart from the apes.
In fascinating sections on how and why modern humans developed a social organization, culture, and personal behavior, Leakey has much of interest to say about the development of art, language, and human consciousness.
More from the same
Related to this topic
-
Masters of the Planet
- The Search for Our Human Origins
- By: Ian Tattersall
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
Fifty thousand years ago - merely a blip in evolutionary time - our Homo sapiens ancestors were competing for existence with several other human species, just as their precursors had done for millions of years. Yet something about our species distinguished it from the pack, and ultimately led to its survival while the rest became extinct. Just what was it that allowed Homo sapiens to become masters of the planet? Ian Tattersall, curator emeritus at the American Museum of Natural History, takes us deep into the fossil record to uncover what made humans so special.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Book, Some Sloppy Editing
- By DB on 11-23-20
By: Ian Tattersall
-
The Neanderthals Rediscovered
- How Modern Science Is Rewriting Their Story (Revised and Updated Edition)
- By: Dimitra Papagianni, Michael A. Morse
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 383
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 337
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 336
In recent years, the common perception of the Neanderthals has been transformed, thanks to new discoveries and paradigm-shattering scientific innovations. It turns out that the Neanderthals' behavior was surprisingly modern: they buried the dead, cared for the sick, hunted large animals in their prime, harvested seafood, and communicated with spoken language. Meanwhile, advances in DNA technologies are compelling us to reassess the Neanderthals' place in our own past.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating Subject... Soporific Reader
- By Andrew E. Yarosh on 11-21-17
By: Dimitra Papagianni, and others
-
The Creative Spark
- How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional
- By: Agustín Fuentes
- Narrated by: Agustín Fuentes
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 148
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 126
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 124
In the tradition of Jared Diamond's million-copy-selling classic Guns, Germs, and Steel, a bold new synthesis of paleontology, archaeology, genetics, and anthropology that overturns misconceptions about race, war and peace, and human nature itself, answering an age-old question: What made humans so exceptional among all the species on Earth? Creativity. It is the secret of what makes humans special, hiding in plain sight.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
What's new?
- By Mark on 05-02-17
By: Agustín Fuentes
-
A Pocket History of Human Evolution
- How We Became Sapiens
- By: Silvana Condemi, Francois Savatier
- Narrated by: Christa Lewis
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
A Pocket History of Human Evolution brings us up-to-date on the exploits of all our ancient relatives. Paleoanthropologist Silvana Condemi and science journalist François Savatier consider what accelerated our evolution: Was it tools, our "large" brains, language, empathy, or something else entirely? And why are we the sole survivors among many early bipedal humans? Their conclusions reveal the various ways ancient humans live on today - from gossip as modern "grooming" to our gendered division of labor - and what the future might hold for our strange and unique species.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well presented and very informative.
- By Jim Griggs on 11-11-21
By: Silvana Condemi, and others
-
Before the Dawn
- Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors
- By: Nicholas Wade
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 925
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 516
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 517
Just in the last three years a flood of new scientific findings, driven by revelations discovered in the human genome, has provided compelling new answers to many long-standing mysteries about our most ancient ancestors, the people who first evolved in Africa and then went on to colonize the whole world. Nicholas Wade weaves this host of news-making findings together for the first time into an intriguing new history of the human story before the dawn of civilization.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing information
- By Albert on 06-15-07
By: Nicholas Wade
-
How Language Began
- The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention
- By: Daniel L. Everett
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 300
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 252
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 252
Mankind has a distinct advantage over other terrestrial species: we talk to one another. But how did we acquire the most advanced form of communication on Earth? Daniel L. Everett, a "bombshell" linguist and "instant folk hero" (Tom Wolfe, Harper's), provides in this sweeping history a comprehensive examination of the evolutionary story of language, from the earliest speaking attempts by hominids to the more than 7,000 languages that exist today.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Hard to endure
- By Michael D. Busch on 09-09-18
-
Masters of the Planet
- The Search for Our Human Origins
- By: Ian Tattersall
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
Fifty thousand years ago - merely a blip in evolutionary time - our Homo sapiens ancestors were competing for existence with several other human species, just as their precursors had done for millions of years. Yet something about our species distinguished it from the pack, and ultimately led to its survival while the rest became extinct. Just what was it that allowed Homo sapiens to become masters of the planet? Ian Tattersall, curator emeritus at the American Museum of Natural History, takes us deep into the fossil record to uncover what made humans so special.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Book, Some Sloppy Editing
- By DB on 11-23-20
By: Ian Tattersall
-
The Neanderthals Rediscovered
- How Modern Science Is Rewriting Their Story (Revised and Updated Edition)
- By: Dimitra Papagianni, Michael A. Morse
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 383
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 337
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 336
In recent years, the common perception of the Neanderthals has been transformed, thanks to new discoveries and paradigm-shattering scientific innovations. It turns out that the Neanderthals' behavior was surprisingly modern: they buried the dead, cared for the sick, hunted large animals in their prime, harvested seafood, and communicated with spoken language. Meanwhile, advances in DNA technologies are compelling us to reassess the Neanderthals' place in our own past.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating Subject... Soporific Reader
- By Andrew E. Yarosh on 11-21-17
By: Dimitra Papagianni, and others
-
The Creative Spark
- How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional
- By: Agustín Fuentes
- Narrated by: Agustín Fuentes
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 148
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 126
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 124
In the tradition of Jared Diamond's million-copy-selling classic Guns, Germs, and Steel, a bold new synthesis of paleontology, archaeology, genetics, and anthropology that overturns misconceptions about race, war and peace, and human nature itself, answering an age-old question: What made humans so exceptional among all the species on Earth? Creativity. It is the secret of what makes humans special, hiding in plain sight.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
What's new?
- By Mark on 05-02-17
By: Agustín Fuentes
-
A Pocket History of Human Evolution
- How We Became Sapiens
- By: Silvana Condemi, Francois Savatier
- Narrated by: Christa Lewis
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
A Pocket History of Human Evolution brings us up-to-date on the exploits of all our ancient relatives. Paleoanthropologist Silvana Condemi and science journalist François Savatier consider what accelerated our evolution: Was it tools, our "large" brains, language, empathy, or something else entirely? And why are we the sole survivors among many early bipedal humans? Their conclusions reveal the various ways ancient humans live on today - from gossip as modern "grooming" to our gendered division of labor - and what the future might hold for our strange and unique species.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well presented and very informative.
- By Jim Griggs on 11-11-21
By: Silvana Condemi, and others
-
Before the Dawn
- Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors
- By: Nicholas Wade
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 925
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 516
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 517
Just in the last three years a flood of new scientific findings, driven by revelations discovered in the human genome, has provided compelling new answers to many long-standing mysteries about our most ancient ancestors, the people who first evolved in Africa and then went on to colonize the whole world. Nicholas Wade weaves this host of news-making findings together for the first time into an intriguing new history of the human story before the dawn of civilization.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing information
- By Albert on 06-15-07
By: Nicholas Wade
-
How Language Began
- The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention
- By: Daniel L. Everett
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 300
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 252
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 252
Mankind has a distinct advantage over other terrestrial species: we talk to one another. But how did we acquire the most advanced form of communication on Earth? Daniel L. Everett, a "bombshell" linguist and "instant folk hero" (Tom Wolfe, Harper's), provides in this sweeping history a comprehensive examination of the evolutionary story of language, from the earliest speaking attempts by hominids to the more than 7,000 languages that exist today.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Hard to endure
- By Michael D. Busch on 09-09-18
-
Prehistory
- Making of the Human Mind
- By: Colin Renfrew
- Narrated by: Robert Ian MacKenzie
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 207
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 142
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 141
A giant of archaeology, Colin Renfrew has immeasurably improved our understanding of human history. In this passionately argued work, he offers a concise summary of prehistory - human existence that predates the development of written records - while challenging the very definition of prehistory itself.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
not for the intellectually challenged
- By Anthony on 07-14-10
By: Colin Renfrew
-
Paleontology
- A Brief History of Life
- By: Ian Tattersall
- Narrated by: Brett Barry
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 112
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 72
Ian Tattersall, a highly esteemed figure in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, and paleontology, leads a fascinating tour of the history of life and the evolution of human beings. Starting at the very beginning, Tattersall examines patterns of change in the biosphere over time, and the correlations of biological events with physical changes in the Earth's environment.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
great summary of where we are with understanding
- By david on 06-25-11
By: Ian Tattersall
-
On Human Nature: Revised Edition
- By: Edward O. Wilson
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 323
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 251
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 249
This revised edition of Human Nature begins a new phase in the most important intellectual controversy of this generation: Is human behavior controlled by the species' biological heritage? Does this heritage limit human destiny?
With characteristic pungency and simplicity of style, the author of Sociobiology challenges old prejudices and current misconceptions about the nature-nurture debate.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Heralding Voice...
- By Douglas on 07-22-14
By: Edward O. Wilson
-
Evolution
- The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory
- By: Edward J. Larson
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 127
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
Edward J. Larson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and eminent science historian. This marvelously readable, yet sumptuously erudite work traces the development of the scientific theory of evolution. From Darwin's essential trip to the Galápagos, to the most contemporary studies in sociobiology, this work takes listeners both into the field and laboratories of the world's greatest evolutionary scientists, and shows how the theory of evolution has itself evolved.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
good audio but slightly boring
- By Bookwormish on 08-02-07
By: Edward J. Larson
-
Written in Stone
- Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature
- By: Brian Switek
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 309
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 259
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 255
Spectacular fossil finds make today's headlines; new technology unlocks secrets of skeletons unearthed 100 years ago. Still, evolution is often poorly represented by the media and misunderstood by the public. A potent antidote to pseudoscience, Written in Stone is an engrossing history of evolutionary discovery for anyone who has marveled at the variety and richness of life.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Very good but has some weaknesses
- By Anonymous User on 06-23-19
By: Brian Switek
-
The World Before Us
- The New Science Behind Our Human Origins
- By: Tom Higham
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 137
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 122
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 123
A fascinating investigation of the origin of humans based on incredible new discoveries and advanced scientific technology.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderfully Accessible
- By Deborah N on 11-02-21
By: Tom Higham
-
Blueprint
- The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society
- By: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Narrated by: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 901
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 771
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 763
For too long, scientists have focused on the dark side of our biological heritage: our capacity for aggression, cruelty, prejudice, and self-interest. But natural selection has given us a suite of beneficial social features, including our capacity for love, friendship, cooperation, and learning. Beneath all our inventions - our tools, farms, machines, cities, nations - we carry with us innate proclivities to make a good society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Many interesting thoughts
- By Jonas Blomberg Ghini on 06-01-19
-
Leonardo's Brain
- Understanding da Vinci's Creative Genius
- By: Leonard Shlain
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 830
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 736
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 736
Bestselling author Leonard Shlain explores the life, art, and mind of Leonardo da Vinci, seeking to explain his singularity by looking at his achievements in art, science, psychology, and military strategy (yes), and then employing state of the art left-right brain scientific research to explain his universal genius. Shlain shows that no other person in human history has excelled in so many different areas as Da Vinci and he peels back the layers to explore the how and the why.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
As distracted as Da Vinci
- By D. McCracken on 05-12-15
By: Leonard Shlain
-
Evolution
- What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters: Adapted for Audio
- By: Donald R. Prothero
- Narrated by: John Bishop
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 92
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 85
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 85
Over the past 20 years, paleontologists have made tremendous fossil discoveries, including fossils that mark the growth of whales, manatees, and seals from land mammals and the origins of elephants, horses, and rhinos. Today there exists an amazing diversity of fossil humans, suggesting we walked upright long before we acquired large brains, and new evidence from molecules that enable scientists to decipher the tree of life as never before.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
NOT WORTH THE PRICE OF ADDMISSION
- By CRAIG on 12-25-14
-
Born in Africa
- The Quest for the Origins of Human Life
- By: Martin Meredith
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 55
In Born in Africa, Martin Meredith follows the trail of discoveries about human origins made by scientists over the last hundred years, recounting their intense rivalry, personal feuds, and fierce controversies, as well as their feats of skill and endurance. The results have been momentous. Scientists have identified more than 20 species of extinct humans. They have firmly established Africa as the birthplace not only of humankind but also of modern humans.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Up to date interesting
- By Simon on 02-15-12
By: Martin Meredith
-
How to Build a Dinosaur
- Extinction Doesn't Have to Be Forever
- By: Jack Horner, James Gorman
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 101
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
In movies, in novels, in comic strips, and on television, we've all seen dinosaurs - or at least somebody's educated guess of what they would look like. But what if it were possible to build, or grow, a real dinosaur without finding ancient DNA? Jack Horner, the scientist who advised Steven Spielberg on the blockbuster film Jurassic Park and a pioneer in bringing paleontology into the 21st century, teams up with the editor of the New York Times's Science Times section to reveal exactly what's in store.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good book but misplaced title
- By Robert on 06-19-15
By: Jack Horner, and others
-
The First Signs
- Unlocking the Mysteries of the World's Oldest Symbols
- By: Genevieve von Petzinger
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 357
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 312
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 310
One of the most significant works on our evolutionary ancestry since Richard Leakey's Origins, The First Signs is the first-ever exploration of the geometric images that accompany most cave art around the world—the first indications of symbolic meaning, intelligence, and language.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Crawling through caves-a memoir
- By GraceAgnes on 01-27-21
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Ancestors in Our Genome
- The New Science of Human Evolution
- By: Eugene E. Harris
- Narrated by: Chris Sorensen
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 14
In Ancestors in Our Genome, molecular anthropologist Eugene E. Harris presents us with a complete and up-to-date account of the evolution of the human genome and our species. Written from the perspective of population genetics, and in simple terms, the book traces human origins back to their source among our earliest human ancestors, and explains many of the most intriguing questions that genome scientists are currently working to answer.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Population genetics textbook with bad narrator
- By Talia on 05-25-20
By: Eugene E. Harris
-
What Evolution Is
- By: Ernst Mayr
- Narrated by: Henry Strozier
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 7
At once a spirited defense of Darwinian explanations of biology and an elegant primer on evolution for the general listener, What Evolution Is poses the questions at the heart of evolutionary theory and considers how our improved understanding of evolution has affected the viewpoints and values of modern man.
By: Ernst Mayr
-
A Pocket History of Human Evolution
- How We Became Sapiens
- By: Silvana Condemi, Francois Savatier
- Narrated by: Christa Lewis
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
A Pocket History of Human Evolution brings us up-to-date on the exploits of all our ancient relatives. Paleoanthropologist Silvana Condemi and science journalist François Savatier consider what accelerated our evolution: Was it tools, our "large" brains, language, empathy, or something else entirely? And why are we the sole survivors among many early bipedal humans? Their conclusions reveal the various ways ancient humans live on today - from gossip as modern "grooming" to our gendered division of labor - and what the future might hold for our strange and unique species.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well presented and very informative.
- By Jim Griggs on 11-11-21
By: Silvana Condemi, and others
-
50 Great Myths of Human Evolution
- Understanding Misconceptions About Our Origins
- By: John H. Relethford
- Narrated by: Steven Menasche
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
50 Great Myths of Human Evolution uses common misconceptions to explore basic theory and research in human evolution and strengthen critical thinking skills for lay audiences, listeners, and students. Includes myths such as: "Humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs"; "Lucy was so small because she was a child"; "Our ancestors have always made fire"; and "There is a strong relationship between brain size and intelligence."
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Best evolution book I have read.
- By Anthony W. Shallin on 07-02-18
-
The Invaders
- How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction
- By: Pat Shipman
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 165
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 148
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 148
Approximately 200,000 years ago, as modern humans began to radiate out from their evolutionary birthplace in Africa, Neanderthals were already thriving in Europe - descendants of a much earlier migration of the African genus Homo. But when modern humans eventually made their way to Europe 45,000 years ago, Neanderthals suddenly vanished.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
This is Popular Science -- No Dramatic Rendering Necessary
- By Tisa Garrison on 07-01-15
By: Pat Shipman
-
Cosmos: Possible Worlds
- By: Ann Druyan
- Narrated by: Ann Druyan, Jennice Ontiveros
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 196
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 176
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 175
This new and long-awaited sequel to Carl Sagan's international best seller continues the electrifying journey through space and time, linking worlds within and worlds billions of miles away and envisioning a future of science tempered with wisdom. Based on National Geographic's internationally-renowned television series, this groundbreaking and visually stunning book explores how science and civilization grew up together.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Just no replacement for the great Carl Sagan.
- By Nowhere man on 03-08-20
By: Ann Druyan
-
Ancestors in Our Genome
- The New Science of Human Evolution
- By: Eugene E. Harris
- Narrated by: Chris Sorensen
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 14
In Ancestors in Our Genome, molecular anthropologist Eugene E. Harris presents us with a complete and up-to-date account of the evolution of the human genome and our species. Written from the perspective of population genetics, and in simple terms, the book traces human origins back to their source among our earliest human ancestors, and explains many of the most intriguing questions that genome scientists are currently working to answer.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Population genetics textbook with bad narrator
- By Talia on 05-25-20
By: Eugene E. Harris
-
What Evolution Is
- By: Ernst Mayr
- Narrated by: Henry Strozier
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 7
At once a spirited defense of Darwinian explanations of biology and an elegant primer on evolution for the general listener, What Evolution Is poses the questions at the heart of evolutionary theory and considers how our improved understanding of evolution has affected the viewpoints and values of modern man.
By: Ernst Mayr
-
A Pocket History of Human Evolution
- How We Became Sapiens
- By: Silvana Condemi, Francois Savatier
- Narrated by: Christa Lewis
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 49
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
A Pocket History of Human Evolution brings us up-to-date on the exploits of all our ancient relatives. Paleoanthropologist Silvana Condemi and science journalist François Savatier consider what accelerated our evolution: Was it tools, our "large" brains, language, empathy, or something else entirely? And why are we the sole survivors among many early bipedal humans? Their conclusions reveal the various ways ancient humans live on today - from gossip as modern "grooming" to our gendered division of labor - and what the future might hold for our strange and unique species.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well presented and very informative.
- By Jim Griggs on 11-11-21
By: Silvana Condemi, and others
-
50 Great Myths of Human Evolution
- Understanding Misconceptions About Our Origins
- By: John H. Relethford
- Narrated by: Steven Menasche
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
50 Great Myths of Human Evolution uses common misconceptions to explore basic theory and research in human evolution and strengthen critical thinking skills for lay audiences, listeners, and students. Includes myths such as: "Humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs"; "Lucy was so small because she was a child"; "Our ancestors have always made fire"; and "There is a strong relationship between brain size and intelligence."
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Best evolution book I have read.
- By Anthony W. Shallin on 07-02-18
-
The Invaders
- How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction
- By: Pat Shipman
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 165
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 148
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 148
Approximately 200,000 years ago, as modern humans began to radiate out from their evolutionary birthplace in Africa, Neanderthals were already thriving in Europe - descendants of a much earlier migration of the African genus Homo. But when modern humans eventually made their way to Europe 45,000 years ago, Neanderthals suddenly vanished.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
This is Popular Science -- No Dramatic Rendering Necessary
- By Tisa Garrison on 07-01-15
By: Pat Shipman
-
Cosmos: Possible Worlds
- By: Ann Druyan
- Narrated by: Ann Druyan, Jennice Ontiveros
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 196
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 176
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 175
This new and long-awaited sequel to Carl Sagan's international best seller continues the electrifying journey through space and time, linking worlds within and worlds billions of miles away and envisioning a future of science tempered with wisdom. Based on National Geographic's internationally-renowned television series, this groundbreaking and visually stunning book explores how science and civilization grew up together.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Just no replacement for the great Carl Sagan.
- By Nowhere man on 03-08-20
By: Ann Druyan
-
A Story of Us
- A New Look at Human Evolution
- By: Lesley Newson, Pete Richerson
- Narrated by: Mike Cooper
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
In A Story of Us, they present this rich narrative and explain how the evolution of our genes relates to the evolution of our cultures. Newson and Richerson take listeners through seven stages of human evolution, beginning seven million years ago with the apes that were the ancestors of humans and today's chimps and bonobos. The story ends in the present day and offers a glimpse into the future.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A glimpse into the lives of our ancestors.
- By Casey B. on 07-22-22
By: Lesley Newson, and others
-
Evolution
- The Human Odyssey
- By: Scientific American
- Narrated by: Kate Mulligan
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 149
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 126
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 126
In this audiobook, The Human Odyssey, we explore the evolution of those characteristics that make us human. The first section looks at our family tree and why some branches survived and not others. Swings in climate are emerging as a factor in what traits succeeded and failed; meanwhile, DNA analyses show that Homo sapiens interbred with other human species, which played a key role in our survival.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great selection of human evolution articles (2016)
- By Sulpicia on 11-13-20
-
Close Encounters with Humankind
- A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species
- By: Sang-Hee Lee, Shin-Young Yoon
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
What can fossilized teeth tell us about our ancient life expectancy? What can big data on fossils reveal about farming's problematic role in human evolution? How can simple geometric comparisons of skull and pelvic fossils suggest an origin to our social nature? In Close Encounters with Humankind, paleoanthropologist Sang-Hee Lee explores some of our biggest evolutionary questions from unexpected new angles. Through a series of entertaining, bite-sized chapters, we gain new perspectives into our first hominin ancestors, our first steps on two feet, and more.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A different perspective of human ancestry
- By John on 09-15-18
By: Sang-Hee Lee, and others
-
The Neanderthals Rediscovered
- How Modern Science Is Rewriting Their Story (Revised and Updated Edition)
- By: Dimitra Papagianni, Michael A. Morse
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 383
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 337
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 336
In recent years, the common perception of the Neanderthals has been transformed, thanks to new discoveries and paradigm-shattering scientific innovations. It turns out that the Neanderthals' behavior was surprisingly modern: they buried the dead, cared for the sick, hunted large animals in their prime, harvested seafood, and communicated with spoken language. Meanwhile, advances in DNA technologies are compelling us to reassess the Neanderthals' place in our own past.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating Subject... Soporific Reader
- By Andrew E. Yarosh on 11-21-17
By: Dimitra Papagianni, and others
-
A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived
- The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes
- By: Adam Rutherford
- Narrated by: Adam Rutherford
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 797
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 675
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 667
In our unique genomes, every one of us carries the story of our species - births, deaths, disease, war, famine, migration, and a lot of sex. But those stories have always been locked away - until now. Who are our ancestors? Where did they come from? Geneticists have suddenly become historians, and the hard evidence in our DNA has completely upended what we thought we knew about ourselves. Acclaimed science writer Adam Rutherford explains exactly how genomics is completely rewriting the human story - from 100,000 years ago to the present.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I wish this book was in American high schools.
- By melody sheldon on 03-31-19
By: Adam Rutherford
-
The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries
- The Evidence and the People Who Found It
- By: Donald R. Prothero
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 85
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 68
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 68
The theory of evolution unites the past, present, and future of living things. It puts humanity's place in the universe into necessary perspective. Despite a history of controversy, the evidence for evolution continues to accumulate as a result of many separate strands of incredible scientific sleuthing. In The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries, Donald R. Prothero explores the most fascinating breakthroughs in piecing together the evidence for evolution.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Meticulous explanations for a general audience.
- By tetrahymena on 04-03-24
-
The Book of Minds
- How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, from Animals to AI to Aliens
- By: Philip Ball
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 18 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 13
Sciences from zoology to astrobiology, computer science to neuroscience, are seeking to understand minds in their own distinct disciplinary realms. Taking a uniquely broad view of minds and where to find them—including in plants, aliens, and God—Philip Ball pulls the pieces together to explore what sorts of minds we might expect to find in the universe.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The book was like an engrossing conversation but the delivery of
- By JamesW on 11-15-22
By: Philip Ball
-
The Seven Daughters of Eve
- The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry
- By: Bryan Sykes
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 284
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 244
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 242
In 1994 Professor Bryan Sykes, a leading world authority on DNA and human evolution, was called in to examine the frozen remains of a man trapped in glacial ice in northern Italy. News of both the Ice Man's discovery and his age, which was put at over 5,000 years, fascinated scientists and newspapers throughout the world. But what made Sykes's story particularly revelatory was his successful identification of a genetic descendant of the Ice Man, a woman living in Great Britain today. How was Sykes able to locate a living relative?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Eurocentric
- By Ann on 04-09-20
By: Bryan Sykes
-
The World Before Us
- The New Science Behind Our Human Origins
- By: Tom Higham
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 137
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 122
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 123
A fascinating investigation of the origin of humans based on incredible new discoveries and advanced scientific technology.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderfully Accessible
- By Deborah N on 11-02-21
By: Tom Higham
-
Who We Are and How We Got Here
- By: David Reich
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,346
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,153
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,138
Geneticists like David Reich have made astounding advances in the field of genomics, which is proving to be as important as archaeology, linguistics, and written records as a means to understand our ancestry. In Who We Are and How We Got Here, Reich allows listeners to discover how the human genome provides not only all the information a human embryo needs to develop but also the hidden story of our species.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great Book, No Maps Available thru Audible
- By Jane W. on 07-15-18
By: David Reich
-
Human Evolution, 2nd Edition
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Bernard Wood
- Narrated by: Mike Cooper
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 9
The study of human evolution is advancing rapidly. Newly discovered fossil evidence is adding ever more pieces to the puzzle of our past, while revolutionary technological advances in the study of ancient DNA are completely reshaping theories of early human populations and migrations. In this Very Short Introduction, Bernard Wood traces the history of paleoanthropology from its beginnings in the 18th century to the very latest fossil finds.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Human Evolution: a quick review
- By Kindle Customer on 03-09-23
By: Bernard Wood
-
Becoming Human
- By: Scientific American
- Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 24
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 20
We humans are a strange bunch. We have self-awareness and yet often act on impulses that remain hidden. How did we get here? What is to become of us? To these age-old questions, science has in recent years brought powerful tools and reams of data, and in this audiobook, Becoming Human, we look at what this data has to tell us about who we are.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very informative.
- By Omas on 12-06-22
What listeners say about The Origin of Humankind
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- D_Spider
- 05-05-24
A Unique Perspective on the Very Earliest Humans
Richard Leakey is the son of Louis and Mary Leakey, whose paleoanthropological discoveries account for the basis of what we know about the origin of Homo in Africa. He was not at first interested in following their example, but he could not escape their influence, and he later became a paleoanthropologist himself. This book is his account of how our biped ancestors evolved, informed by his unique lifelong experience of the discovery of their fossils and the scholarly anthropological milieu surrounding what became the practically incontrovertible out-of-Africa theory of human origins. It's not the defining work about the centrality of bipedalism to how we came to be what we are, but it's extremely valuable as a sort of independent or parallel view, rather like Wallace's co-discovery with Darwin of natural selection as the driver of evolution. It's very well written and, if anything, narrated even better. The listener gets a good sense of Richard Leakey the person that does not distract from Richard Leakey the anthropologist's story of how those bipeds became humans over a several-million-year span.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fred V.
- 09-17-22
No Monkey Business
Leakey is a big hitter in paleoanthropology. This book is why his batting average is MVP land.
This guy suffered a lot and delivered more. Bravo Zulu sapien stalwart.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!