Shadows of Forgotten AncestorsNATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Exciting and provocative . . . A tour de force of a book that begs to be seen as well as to be read.”—The Washington Post Book World World renowned scientist Carl Sagan and acclaimed author Ann Druyan have written a Roots for the human species, a lucid and riveting account of how humans got to be the way we are. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a thrilling saga that starts with the origin of the Earth. It shows with humor and drama that many of our key traits—self-awareness, technology, family ties, submission to authority, hatred for those a little different from ourselves, reason, and ethics—are rooted in the deep past, and illuminated by our kinship with other animals. Sagan and Druyan conduct a breathtaking journey through space and time, zeroing in on critical turning points in evolutionary history, and tracing the origins of sex, altruism, violence, rape, and dominance. Their book culminates in a stunningly original examination of the connection between primate and human traits. Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a triumph of popular science. |
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ACGT adaptive adult aggression alpha male ancestors ancient animals attack baboons behavior Big Guy billion years ago biology birds body bonobos brain called Cambridge Carl Sagan Chapter Charles Darwin Chicago chimpanzee chimps close relatives common copulation culture Descartes dominance hierarchy dominant male early Earth editor environment enzymes evolution evolutionary evolved example experiment females fight Frans de Waal genes hamadryas baboons hereditary hormones humans Huxley incest individual infant insects kin selection kind language least less lexigram live London look macaques mammals mate microbes million molecular molecules monkeys and apes mother mutation natural selection nucleic acids nucleotide organisms origin oxygen perhaps plants population predators primates rape rats seems sequences sexual social society sometimes species stromatolite submission survival T. H. Huxley termites territory testosterone there's tion University Press wild York young