ebooks Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived by Chip Walter in History

Review

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Who knew?By jasonhadUtterly fascinating exposition of the latest theories on the evolution of modern Homo Sapiens; from the earliest fossilized traces to the present day. Not just the how; but the why; and told in a straightforward prose unfettered by the usual 7-syllable words anthropologists love to use to convince through obfuscation and confusion.What differentiates us from our past - and from our fellow denizens of the planet. How the people we once thought of as ignorant savages; the Neanderthals; left their heritage behind for us to enjoy - through interbreeding. Most of us whose ancestry is of the northern hemisphere still carry their DNA in our cells - from one to four percent.Why childhood is so much longer for us than for our cousins the primates; and why we are born utterly helpless - as well as upside-down (or at least compared to other animals).Sadly; the author gets bogged down in the latter part of the book; expounding at great length on the mysteries of the current human brain; and in a disconcertingly repetitive manner entirely out of character. As another reviewer wrote; it is almost as if there was a word count goal and the last part of the book was written to that end rather than to the subject at hand. Psychobabble is still psychobabble; whether in the guise of paleoanthropology or of psychiatry.Enjoy! But when you get bogged down in the last chapters; don't feel you've missed anything when you close the book in frustration - you'll have read the best part.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Fabulous BookBy Dale J. HorstI hate being called a layman; but that is in fact what I am. I wanted to make a lot more money than my parents; and make it through my entire adult life without financial aid. I never became that paleoanthropologist I always wanted to be. So instead I read every book at every opportunity I can on the subject because it fascinates me. This book is fabulous; and is both understandable as well as technical. I have watched lectures by Chip Walter and he admits he is a much better writer than lecturer. He is a gifted writer; and truly takes the time to explain every point he makes in the book in clear concise terminology. I especially liked the chapter " The Voice Inside Your Head"..........Fascinating.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Wow; a GREAT Read! Entirely Fascinating and Well Researched Well Written!By Tilly's reviewsI have to admit that I originally downloaded this book to my Kindle for two reasons; that it was a topic that my husband enjoys reading about and that it was on sale when I downloaded it...thinking he'd like it and the price was right. Forget him; as when I started reading it; I was hooked right away! Mike is going to have to (impatiently) wait to read it next as I have just a few pages yet to finish. Unlike many other reviewers; I hate giving away all the fascinating theories and scientific research plus the DNA test results that contributed to the information in this book. Lets just teasingly say...you might not exactly be WHO you thought you are as a modern humanoid. Scientific evidence is changing all the time in this field as fresh finds are made of remains and new DNA testing sheds new light on our origins. READ; LEARN and CONSIDER....and finally.... if all of our big toes start curling back underneath...we are quite possibly all in evolutionary trouble! Enough clues given...now buy it! This book is an amazing read and so well written; the author really knows how to keep the ball rolling on a topic some people might find a little boring...Boring it certainly is NOT.