Humans are, without a doubt, an absolutely strange and unlikely species. but what makes them so? In my latest book, Growing Up Human (£17.99, Bloomsbury), I explore a critical aspect of human evolution that we’ve all experienced but somehow never make the headlines, even though it may be precisely what makes us the singlest . successful primate on the planet.
In the book, I look at the evolutionary science behind human infancy and our unique adaptation in lengthening infancy for much, much longer than other animals. I explore where we fit into the primate mate-finding system, our unimpressive attempts at making babies, the evolution of our difficult and dangerous births, and why we produce milk like a zebra. what we do with these amazing and strange childhoods is the result of the critical decisions our species has made in the future; everything to give us the opportunity to be eternally young.
You are reading: Best books on human evolution
This book stems from a career dedicated to looking at the bones and teeth of humans and our relatives to understand the evolutionary history of growth and development. however, it also comes from a much more personal place, as I was expecting a child of my own and realized exactly how many questions about this fundamental part of the human experience still remained unanswered.
Why are human pregnancies so dangerous? why are we (and whales) the only species that have grandmothers? what should teenagers do all day? And of course, most critical of all, what do we plan to do with all this extra time?
there are so many books on human evolution out there with a ‘fair’ explanation of how we humans ended up the way we did, that I want to share in this short list the books that opened new questions; the ones that tell us about how we study the human past and give us inspiration on how to do it better in the future.
After all, all the best scientific research begins with inspiration, and these are some of the books that inspired me to try to understand our world.
If you feel like searching for more great science reads, check out this list of the best science books to fuel your curiosity.
5 best books on human evolution
the bite of evolution: a history of teeth, diet and human origins
peter ungar
- buy now on amazon (£16.76).
See Also: 90 Popular Accelerated Reader Books for Grades 1-12 – California Unpublished
My specialty is teeth: how they grow and what we do with them. Professor Peter Ungar has been incredibly influential in this field for decades and has led some of the pioneering research into what has happened in our mouths over the last few million years that perhaps doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
While the hominid history of upright walking seems firmly entrenched in our collective imagination, there is a whole world of evolutionary importance locked up in fossil teeth. ungar explains how teeth reflect what we eat and how our teeth have changed as the various species that came before us changed diets, environments, and lifestyles.
While Ungar is an undoubted expert and the book is full of high points about evolution, what I most enjoyed were the insights from a researcher who has been in the field for a long time and the first-hand accounts from some of the most exciting discoveries in my science.
- You are probably brushing your teeth wrong. this is what you should be doing
our human history
louis humphrey and chris stringer
- buy now on amazon (£27.32).
This book is close to my heart for two reasons. For one thing, it’s an incredibly up-to-date summary of everything our species, and all those that came before us, were doing. It’s readable without skimping on the details, and is now my go-to resource for a broad overview of human evolution.
Of course, I also had the benefit of sitting at the coffee table with both authors while working at the Natural History Museum in London. This means that, for me, this book captures in print some of the best aspects of that work: the chance to be in the room where people who know evolutionary anthropology are talking about the latest advances in research.
- Are humans still evolving?
the stories that teeth tell: development, evolution, behavior
tanya blacksmith
- buy now on amazon (£18.55).
My mission in life is to help spread the word that teeth are one of the most exciting and underappreciated topics of research. Professor Tanya Smith has written this book with, I believe, exactly the same mission in mind.
If you want to know how teeth can be at the forefront of science (bite?), this is definitely the book for you. smith has done an amazing job incorporating new imaging technologies to apply to ancient teeth, taking Neanderthals into a synchrotron, and presenting an account of their growth day by day.
See Also: Vannetta Chapman – Book Series In Order
While the book explores how we can use stable isotopes and synchrotrons to bring back the stories of ancient lives, one of the most compelling things is how candidly Smith shares his own journey through the wonder of teeth, something that are sure to resonate with anyone who has fallen head over heels in love with science.
relatives: life, love, death and art of the Neanderthals
rebecca wragg sykes
There are many ways to tell the story of our hominid past, but none are as lyrical as this book by dr. rebecca wragg sykes on our last relatives, the neanderthals.
The best books on human evolution rewrite the tired old tropes of yesteryear, and this book not only rewrites them but lays out such a dense, poetic view of the lives of our European hominin cousins that you can practically taste the bitter yarrow they ate.
Far from being the troglodytes of the Victorian imagination, Wragg Sykes introduces an entirely new kind of human being: one who cares, imagines, and creates.
- Listen to the Instant Genius Podcast: Neanderthals, with Dr. rebecca wragg sykes
paleofantasy: what evolution really tells us about sex, diet and how we live
marlene zuk
I have to include this wonderful book by Professor Marlene Zuk because it is such a refreshing antidote to the superficial understanding of human evolution that finds its way into popular culture.
zuk dismisses the mythical ideas of a perfect ‘paleo’ life and exposes the fad diets, workouts and dating advice that people have marketed as trying to sell the idea that there is a perfect way to be human’ evolutionarily adapted.
There is nothing more frustrating to an anthropologist than the idea that humans are “evolved” to do anything when it is so clear that the only way species survive is through adaptation and change. Taking protein gurus and absurd love life advice with humor and reality, this is a wonderful book for anyone who’s ever had a suspicion that maybe the “palaeo” life isn’t all it seems.
See Also: Most Useful Self-Publishing Software for Authors in 2021 | Gatekeeper Press