The Powerful Primate: How Controlling Energy Enabled Us to Build Civilization

A captivating journey through humanity’s relentless quest to harness and control physical power, fueling groundbreaking innovations while leaving a profound impact on our planet—from the acclaimed author of The Age of Wood.

The Powerful Primate presents a compelling argument that flips the traditional view of humanity on its head. Rather than focusing solely on our cognitive abilities, author Roland Ennos argues it’s our physical power and engineering brilliance that have set us apart in the animal kingdom. From our bipedal ancestors wielding simple tools to modern humans mastering complex machinery, Ennos takes us on a gripping journey through the evolution of human dominance.

Readers will learn the fascinating history of how humans have progressively harnessed energy from sources such as wood, animals, water, wind, fossil fuels, and even atomic nuclei to drive our rise to being the most powerful species on earth. Our ancestors’ abilities to hit harder, throw farther, and cut deeper than any other animal laid the groundwork for the development of agriculture, industry, and, ultimately, modern civilization.

Yet this power has come at a cost: environmental degradation and societal challenges have arisen from our relentless pursuit of energy and technological advancement. There is hope, however—the same engineering skills that have brought us here can pave the way for a more sustainable future.

Blending anthropology, biomechanics, engineering, and history, The Powerful Primate is a thought-provoking story of ambition, ingenuity, and the costs of progress—a must-read for anyone interested in the forces that shape human civilization.

Roland Ennos is a visiting professor of biological sciences at the University of Hull. He is the author of successful textbooks on plants, biomechanics, and statistics, and his popular book Trees, published by the Natural History Museum, is now in its third edition. He is also the author of The Age of Wood and The Science of Spin. He lives in England.