In this landmark book of popular science, Daniel E. Lieberman (https://scholar.harvard.edu/dlieberman/home) gives us a lucid and engaging account of how the human body evolved over millions of years. He illuminates the major transformations that contributed to key adaptations in the body: the rise of bipedalism; the shift to a non-fruit-based diet; the development of hunting and gathering; and how cultural changes like the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions have impacted us physically.
Lieberman shows how the increasing disparity between the jumble of adaptations in our Stone Age bodies and advancements in the modern world is occasioning a paradox. There is greater longevity but increased chronic disease. Finally, he advocates the use of evolutionary information to help nudge, push, and sometimes even compel us to create a more salubrious environment and pursue better lifestyles.
Daniel E. Lieberman is professor of human evolutionary biology and the Edwin M. Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences at Harvard. He has written more than one hundred articles, many appearing in the journals Nature and Science. Lieberman is especially well known for his research on the evolution of the human head and the evolution of running, including barefoot running (earning him the nickname the Barefoot Professor). His research and discoveries have been highlighted widely in newspapers, magazines, books, news programmes, and documentaries.
The Story of the Human Body is a marvellous book, demanding a place on your shelves. Should you not wish to purchase, check if this exemplary science book is in stock at your local library by consulting the online catalogue at https://www.sllclibrary.co.uk/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/MSGTRN/OPAC/BSEARCH
480 pages in Pantheon Books
First published 2013
ISBN 978-0307379412
Professor Daniel E. Lieberman