The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being : Evolution and the Making of Us

Roberts, Alice

ISBN 10: 184866477X / ISBN 13: 9781848664777

Published by Quercus, 2014

About this Item

Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Seller Inventory # GRP97361505

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being : Evolution and the Making of Us
• Publisher: Quercus
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 184866477X
• ISBN 13: 9781848664777
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Good
• Weight: 1.911 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

The presenter of the BBC's The Incredible Human Journey gives us a new and highly accessible look at our own bodies, allowing us to understand how we develop as an embryo, from a single egg into a complex body, and how our embryos contain echoes of our evolutionary past.

Bringing together the latest scientific discoveries, Professor Alice Roberts illustrates that evolution has made something which is far from perfect. Our bodies are a quirky mix of new and old, with strokes of genius alongside glitches and imperfections which are all inherited from distant ancestors. Our development and evolutionary past explains why, as embryos, we have what look like gills, and as adults we suffer from back pain.

This is a tale of discovery, not only exploring why and how we have developed as we have, but also looking at the history of our anatomical understanding. It combines the remarkable skills and qualifications Alice Roberts has as a doctor, anatomist, osteoarchaeologist and writer. Above all, she has a rare ability to make science accessible, relevant and interesting to mainstream audiences and readers.

About the Author

Dr. Alice Roberts is an anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, anthropologist, television presenter, author, and professor at the University of Birmingham. She has presented The Incredible Human Journey and Coast on BBC 2 and Inside Science on Radio 4. She lives in Bristol with her husband and two children.