The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being: Evolution and the Making of Us (Paperback)
Alice Roberts (author)Published: 02/04/2015
'From your brain to your fingertips, you emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper understanding of yourself' Richard Dawkins
'A masterful account of why our bodies are the way they are . . . this book really shines . . . Roberts's lightness of touch is joyous, and celebratory' Observer
'Witty, personal and above all informed by passion and deep knowledge, this is the story of you, not just from conception onwards but from the millions of years of evolution that have shaped the way we are today' Adam Rutherford
***SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE***
Alice Roberts takes you on the most incredible journey, revealing your path from a single cell to a complex embryo to a living, breathing, thinking person. It's a story that connects us with our distant ancestors and an extraordinary, unlikely chain of events that shaped human development and left a mark on all of us. Alice Roberts uses the latest research to uncover the evolutionary history hidden in all of us, from the secrets found only in our embryos and genes - including why as embroyos we have what look like gills - to those visible in your anatomy. This is a tale of discovery, exploring why and how we have developed as we have. This is your story, told as never before.
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
ISBN: 9781848664791
Number of pages: 400
Weight: 277 g
Dimensions: 199 x 131 x 29 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
A masterful account of why our bodies are the way they are ... Roberts skilfully and knowledgeably weaves embryology, genetics, anatomy, evolution and zoology to tell the incredible story of the human body ... It is in comparative anatomy that this book really shines ... Roberts's anatomical expertise is seductive ... Roberts's lightness of touch is joyous, and celebratory -- Adam Rutherford * Observer *
Roberts's engagingly personal style connects you to your ancestors, to your own personal beginnings as a single cell and, in a most attractive way, to herself as an author of great charm. From your brain to your fingertips, you emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper understanding of yourself -- Richard Dawkins
A brilliant account of how a single cell transforms itself into a living, breathing, thinking person. The book exudes physicality, it is like having an intellectual massage of every muscle in your body - afterwards you are keenly aware of your body and feel like a different person -- Mark Miodownik * author of The Genius of Invention *
'Witty, personal and above all informed by passion and deep knowledge' Adam Rutherford. * Adam Rutherford *
The biggest gap in biology is that between DNA . . . and living creatures . . . Alice Roberts has set out to find it. With wit and enthusiasm, she succeeds -- Steve Jones * Geneticist and author of The Single Helix *
'Her guided tour of the human body takes us on a fascinating journey of self-discovery' Desmond Morris. * Desmond Morris *
'Alice Roberts's engagingly personal style connects you to your ancestors, to your own beginnings as a single cell ... You emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper understanding of yourself' Richard Dawkins. * Richard Dawkins *
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“Truly brilliant”
Despite watching doctor Alice Roberts' work on TV for some time now, I remember her appearances on the archeological TV series Time Team, I've never read any of her books before. Something I've decided... More
“The Prof”
This is pure Alice, direct, honest and superbly scientific. A must read for anyone who looks for true scientific reasoning.
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