What Makes us Human: A Scientist?s Guide to our Amazing Existence

Professor Luke O’Neill guides curious minds through humanity’s origins, traits, and future possibilities with infectious enthusiasm.

What makes us human? Ireland’s favorite scientist is here to tell you!

What do you have in common with the 7.75 billion other people on the planet? This is the question that Professor Luke O’Neill attempts to answer in this exciting new book for young readers, adapted from his bestselling book for adults, Humanology: A Scientist’s Guide to our Amazing Existence.

Starting with the origin of life and how we as a species evolved on the plains of Africa some 200,000 years ago, Professor Luke explores what makes us interesting as a species, why we sleep, laugh and enjoy music, and our efforts to stop disease. He also ponders whether we will create superhumans, how and why we age, if we can escape death and whether our eventual extinction is inevitable.

With Luke’s trademark infectious enthusiasm - and plenty of laughs along the way - What Makes Us Human is the perfect book for curious minds.

Professor Luke O’Neill is a world-renowned immunologist and Professor of Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin. He is the author of four bestselling books, the award-winning Never Mind the B#ll*cks, Here’s the Science, Humanology, Keep Calm and Trust the Science, and The Great Irish Science Book for children. Luke is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and is a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Tara O’Brien is an illustrator from Dublin, Ireland. Her work has a focus on diverse representations of people, body politics, mental health and our connection to nature.