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Missing Links: In Search of Human Origins
This is the story of the search for human origins - from the Middle Ages, when questions of the earth's antiquity first began to arise, through to the latest genetic discoveries that show the interrelatedness of all living creatures.
Central to the story is the part played by fossils - first, in establishing the age of the Earth; then, following Darwin, in the pursuit of possible 'Missing Links' that would establish whether or not humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor.
John Reader's passion for this quest - palaeoanthropology - began in the 1960s when he reported for Life Magazine on Richard Leakey's first fossil-hunting expedition to the badlands of East Turkana, in Kenya. Drawing on both historic and recent research, he tells the fascinating story of the science as it has developed from the activities of a few dedicated individuals, into the rigorous multidisciplinary work of today.
His arresting photographs give a unique insight into the fossils, the discoverers, and the settings. His vivid narrative reveals both the context in which our ancestors evolved, and also the realities confronting the modern scientist. The story he tells is peopled by eccentrics and enthusiasts, and punctuated by controversy and even fraud. It is a celebration of discoveries - Neanderthal Man in the 1850s, Java Man (1891), Australopithecus (1925), Peking Man (1926), Homo habilis (1964), Lucy
(1978), Floresiensis (2004), and Ardipithecus (2009). It is a story of fragmentary shards of evidence, and the competing interpretations built upon them. And it is a tale of scientific breakthroughs - dating technology, genetics, and molecular biology - that have enabled us to set the fossil evidence in
the context of human evolution.
John Reader's first book on this subject (Missing The Hunt for Earliest Man, 1981) was described in Nature as 'the best popular account of palaeoanthropology I have ever read'. His new book covers the thirty years of discovery that have followed.
Central to the story is the part played by fossils - first, in establishing the age of the Earth; then, following Darwin, in the pursuit of possible 'Missing Links' that would establish whether or not humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor.
John Reader's passion for this quest - palaeoanthropology - began in the 1960s when he reported for Life Magazine on Richard Leakey's first fossil-hunting expedition to the badlands of East Turkana, in Kenya. Drawing on both historic and recent research, he tells the fascinating story of the science as it has developed from the activities of a few dedicated individuals, into the rigorous multidisciplinary work of today.
His arresting photographs give a unique insight into the fossils, the discoverers, and the settings. His vivid narrative reveals both the context in which our ancestors evolved, and also the realities confronting the modern scientist. The story he tells is peopled by eccentrics and enthusiasts, and punctuated by controversy and even fraud. It is a celebration of discoveries - Neanderthal Man in the 1850s, Java Man (1891), Australopithecus (1925), Peking Man (1926), Homo habilis (1964), Lucy
(1978), Floresiensis (2004), and Ardipithecus (2009). It is a story of fragmentary shards of evidence, and the competing interpretations built upon them. And it is a tale of scientific breakthroughs - dating technology, genetics, and molecular biology - that have enabled us to set the fossil evidence in
the context of human evolution.
John Reader's first book on this subject (Missing The Hunt for Earliest Man, 1981) was described in Nature as 'the best popular account of palaeoanthropology I have ever read'. His new book covers the thirty years of discovery that have followed.
554 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1982
14 people are currently reading
339 people want to read
About the author
John Reader
34 books36 followersAn author and photojournalist with more than forty years' professional experience. He holds an Honorary Research Fellowship in the Department of Anthropology at U.C.L.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 15, 2015
At first, this book annoyed me...it begins with an account of the execution of King Charles I...what on earth has this got to do with the "search for human origins"!? Eventually, I finally realised what the author was driving at in his annoyingly discursive introduction: the King's execution served to introduce his contemporary Archbishop James Ussher, famous for dating the Creation to 4004 BC, which in turn serves to bring us an extended musing on time and place as a framework for what follows...
I wanted to read about what the title of the book seemed to promise, so I was irritated by this circumlocution...and I continued to be annoyed as chapter after lengthy chapter followed, which told me not so much about the current state of play regarding ancient human(oid) fossils, but rather the history of their discovery, and the feuding personalities of their finders.
Why then give it 4 stars? Ultimately, because I gradually became gripped by the human drama that the author unfolds. I started by thinking "I don't want to read about Piltdown man! I know that was all faked!" to getting gripped by the circumstances of its fakery, the possible identity of the mystery faker, and what the whole episode tells us about the history of archaeology - and, indeed, human nature...
There are many fascinating stories here, and the most fascinating are the human dramas that accompany the story of the fossils. And eventually the author does deliver some important insights into the story of human evolution revealed by the fossils themselves - such as - chimpanzees are not our ancestors, but an evolutionary cul-de-sac; and our ancestors came down from the trees and walked upright for more than a million years before they wore clothes or made tools... The description of footprints left in the mud by these ancestors, preserved for millions of years, reveals details such as that a family group walked unhurried across the plain, with the woman having a weight on one hip (a baby?), who then stopped and looked back, staring at something that caught her attention.....I read this, and looked at the photographs of the footprints, and I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck...and this is why I give it 4 stars.
I wanted to read about what the title of the book seemed to promise, so I was irritated by this circumlocution...and I continued to be annoyed as chapter after lengthy chapter followed, which told me not so much about the current state of play regarding ancient human(oid) fossils, but rather the history of their discovery, and the feuding personalities of their finders.
Why then give it 4 stars? Ultimately, because I gradually became gripped by the human drama that the author unfolds. I started by thinking "I don't want to read about Piltdown man! I know that was all faked!" to getting gripped by the circumstances of its fakery, the possible identity of the mystery faker, and what the whole episode tells us about the history of archaeology - and, indeed, human nature...
There are many fascinating stories here, and the most fascinating are the human dramas that accompany the story of the fossils. And eventually the author does deliver some important insights into the story of human evolution revealed by the fossils themselves - such as - chimpanzees are not our ancestors, but an evolutionary cul-de-sac; and our ancestors came down from the trees and walked upright for more than a million years before they wore clothes or made tools... The description of footprints left in the mud by these ancestors, preserved for millions of years, reveals details such as that a family group walked unhurried across the plain, with the woman having a weight on one hip (a baby?), who then stopped and looked back, staring at something that caught her attention.....I read this, and looked at the photographs of the footprints, and I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck...and this is why I give it 4 stars.
August 22, 2022
This is not just a beautifully written book - it is a beautiful book. The photographs are amazing. For those interested in the search for the "missing link" this book is very informative.
February 14, 2014
Beautifully written. The book reads like an adventure story with science bits. Not overly simplified and not bogged down in scientific facts/terminology. Not confusing, which is surprising when you consider the convoluted nature of hominid evolution extrapolated on minimal fossil evidence. Excellent (and amusing) chapter on Piltdown Man.
Well put-together, hard cover book, with thick, glossy pages and beautiful, full-page, colour photographs throughout.
I liked this book a great deal more than Masters of the Planet by Ian Tattersal.
Well put-together, hard cover book, with thick, glossy pages and beautiful, full-page, colour photographs throughout.
I liked this book a great deal more than Masters of the Planet by Ian Tattersal.
May 25, 2018
Missing Links: In Search of Human Origins by John Reader is an interesting history of our search for human origins from the fossil record and associated sciences, especially geology (dating of fossils). Recommended for the general reader with any interest in the subject; unnecessary specialized terminology is absent.
Quibbles are few. The 1982 edition that I read free on archiv.org obviously does not cover some discoveries since then. You can catch up easily from Wikipedia and other sources, but you may not get the deeper background and personalities that you see in this book. There is a time line of hominid ancestry on the last pages; I would have preferred that the author also set out some of those dates here and there in the text along with epoch names. And I think dolomite is not a type of limestone.
This also is an account of how science is supposed to work: evidence-theory-more evidence-better theory and so on, always pursuing and approaching the truth; not just collecting facts. Of course personality and agenda (mostly reputation and funding) color the approach, particularly in the early phases or where evidence is slim. That is part of the interest of this book. In addition, the pursuit has the attraction of very challenging detective work.
Quibbles are few. The 1982 edition that I read free on archiv.org obviously does not cover some discoveries since then. You can catch up easily from Wikipedia and other sources, but you may not get the deeper background and personalities that you see in this book. There is a time line of hominid ancestry on the last pages; I would have preferred that the author also set out some of those dates here and there in the text along with epoch names. And I think dolomite is not a type of limestone.
This also is an account of how science is supposed to work: evidence-theory-more evidence-better theory and so on, always pursuing and approaching the truth; not just collecting facts. Of course personality and agenda (mostly reputation and funding) color the approach, particularly in the early phases or where evidence is slim. That is part of the interest of this book. In addition, the pursuit has the attraction of very challenging detective work.
August 4, 2022
As some other reviews have noted, at first the book glaringly fails to deliver what its title might suggest: an overview over the current state of the art in palaeoanthropology. But what it gives you instead is much more than I had hoped: gripping accounts of the major discoveries, debates and forgeries in the search of human origins. It’s drama at its very best.
And in the end, insights about the current knowledge of human origins are revealed. It’s succinct and to the point. Yet John Reader’s decision to follow the search for human origins the very beginning, or missing links, as contemporaries usually referred to it, ensures that the payoff in the end is all the more greater. For each major discovery — from Neanderthals to Piltdown Man to Ardipithecus ramidus — the insights, debates and controversies are presented, and where the jury is still out, the reader is left to make their own judgements based on the available evidence.
A highly recommended read for anybody interested in human origins and scientific exploits.
And in the end, insights about the current knowledge of human origins are revealed. It’s succinct and to the point. Yet John Reader’s decision to follow the search for human origins the very beginning, or missing links, as contemporaries usually referred to it, ensures that the payoff in the end is all the more greater. For each major discovery — from Neanderthals to Piltdown Man to Ardipithecus ramidus — the insights, debates and controversies are presented, and where the jury is still out, the reader is left to make their own judgements based on the available evidence.
A highly recommended read for anybody interested in human origins and scientific exploits.
February 19, 2024
Fantastic eye-opening introduction to paleoanthropology
This was a topic I knew a little about, the names were familiar from school and popular science reading, but this book really brings everything into focus.
Telling the stories of the paleoanthropologists themselves alongside concise and accessible guides to their discoveries and working methods illuminates the positives and negatives of this fascinating but fraught science.
The non-specialist author is a wonderful guide to an extraordinary story
This was a topic I knew a little about, the names were familiar from school and popular science reading, but this book really brings everything into focus.
Telling the stories of the paleoanthropologists themselves alongside concise and accessible guides to their discoveries and working methods illuminates the positives and negatives of this fascinating but fraught science.
The non-specialist author is a wonderful guide to an extraordinary story
March 12, 2019
I was slightly surprised by how much the book focused on the scientists, but that wasnt necessarily a bad thing.
October 28, 2019
Most books are rated related to their usefulness and contributions to my research.
Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
Read for personal research
- found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.
Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
Read for personal research
- found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews