Animals Made Us Human: A Short History of How Animals Shaped Our Evolution and Drove Science, Technology, and Civilization

There are millions of animal species on Earth but only one non-animal species: us. True, humans are unique and fundamentally distinct. We have consciousness and free will, a state of mind, written and spoken languages, the capacity to make tools, and to build cities and machines. We are in many ways different from the non-human world. But how did we become what we are? In the last three million years of evolution, we have been deeply influenced by the natural world around us—especially animals. The observation, emulation, domestication, and exploitation of animals shaped our mental, as well our physical, evolution. Hidden in full view, the animal/human connection was and is rooted in every aspect of our life. Animals Made Us Human explores the impact that animals have had, either directly or accidentally, on the humanity's journey from our distant progenitor Australopithecus afarensis, to the Anthropocene—the current era dominated by the impact of our species.

Walter Tarello is a scientist, artist, writer, and veterinary doctor (DVM, MRCVS) who promotes the science of human-animal interaction in all his aspects, from health to art, from evolution to culture. He has authored sixty-four scientific papers and several books about animals. He lives and practices in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.