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Humans: The Evolution of a Species
Humans – who are we?
Physically, Homo sapiens is unremarkable in the animal world – a hairless ape. But somehow, in combination, our characteristics make us remarkable. With our dexterity and brain power, we discovered ways of finding food and beating the elements not only in our home on the African savanna, but in every habitat from jungle to Arctic waste. Humans tells the story of our evolution with beautiful illustrations of our seemingly ordinary anatomy alongside colourful, mind-expanding graphics of what we have achieved with it.
This book is:
• shaped and guided by broadcaster and expert in anatomy and archaeology, Professor Alice Roberts
• written by an international team of experts in many fields of human evolution, including archaeology, palaeontology, anthropology, and cognitive science
• built from chapters about the evolution of different parts of the body, giving an instant, familiar way in to the topic
This thought-provoking book presents the latest advances in understanding human evolution, challenging old myths and baked-in misconceptions – all through the lens of the human body. Each chapter tackles a different body part, showing how it has evolved and the role it has played. The story of hands, for instance, begins with the first animals with limbs, which clambered onto land 375 million years ago, but goes on to show how humans use the unique precision and power in their grasping digits – and their ability to teach one another skills – to create ever-more sophisticated technology.
Visually vibrant and rich, this book features not only beautiful illustrations, but also photos of prehistoric art, tools, jewellery, and recreations of all of these made by experimental archaeologists.
Humans asks intriguing universal questions about our origins and nature. When did we invent clothes? Did we always form pair bonds? How did prehistoric people cross the ocean? Are we the only animals to become self-aware?
Find out who we are, where we come from, and perhaps – where we’re going.
Physically, Homo sapiens is unremarkable in the animal world – a hairless ape. But somehow, in combination, our characteristics make us remarkable. With our dexterity and brain power, we discovered ways of finding food and beating the elements not only in our home on the African savanna, but in every habitat from jungle to Arctic waste. Humans tells the story of our evolution with beautiful illustrations of our seemingly ordinary anatomy alongside colourful, mind-expanding graphics of what we have achieved with it.
This book is:
• shaped and guided by broadcaster and expert in anatomy and archaeology, Professor Alice Roberts
• written by an international team of experts in many fields of human evolution, including archaeology, palaeontology, anthropology, and cognitive science
• built from chapters about the evolution of different parts of the body, giving an instant, familiar way in to the topic
This thought-provoking book presents the latest advances in understanding human evolution, challenging old myths and baked-in misconceptions – all through the lens of the human body. Each chapter tackles a different body part, showing how it has evolved and the role it has played. The story of hands, for instance, begins with the first animals with limbs, which clambered onto land 375 million years ago, but goes on to show how humans use the unique precision and power in their grasping digits – and their ability to teach one another skills – to create ever-more sophisticated technology.
Visually vibrant and rich, this book features not only beautiful illustrations, but also photos of prehistoric art, tools, jewellery, and recreations of all of these made by experimental archaeologists.
Humans asks intriguing universal questions about our origins and nature. When did we invent clothes? Did we always form pair bonds? How did prehistoric people cross the ocean? Are we the only animals to become self-aware?
Find out who we are, where we come from, and perhaps – where we’re going.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 2026
About the author
Alice Roberts
43 books860 followersAlice May Roberts is an English anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, physical anthropologist, palaeopathologist, television presenter and author.
Roberts studied medicine and anatomy at Cardiff University, qualifying in 1997 as a physician with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB BCh) degree, having gained an intercalated Bachelor of Science degree in anatomy. She earned a PhD in paleopathology in 2008 from the University of Bristol.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Roberts studied medicine and anatomy at Cardiff University, qualifying in 1997 as a physician with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB BCh) degree, having gained an intercalated Bachelor of Science degree in anatomy. She earned a PhD in paleopathology in 2008 from the University of Bristol.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 15, 2026
I got this book not just because the topic interests me, but because one of the writers involved in it is one of my favorite YouTube bloggers, Erika, "Gutsick Gibbon." She has a show on human evolution, and also enjoys debating young earth creationists, which would have described her some years ago.
People who love touchscreens will like this Kindle book even better than I do, because it has options to obtain more information within the book about a specific topic, or to jump ahead, or easily move back. I happen to not be great with touchscreens.
The basic information one gets at the beginning is essential, but unless you're a student you don't have to memorize it. It explains evolution in simple terms and then explains how apes had to change to become us--the legs, hips, and position of the head had to change to have walking upright or running be our usual forms of motion. The arms and hands had to change to be able to throw, to be better adept at toolmaking, and so on. And then the anatomical changes necessary for speech ...
There is time spent both on our prehuman ancestors and on the other varieties of humans (genus homo) that have been discovered. Homo sapiens appears to have interbred with most or all of them. It is not only impossible to be "pure race," but even "pure" species is unlikely.
After getting past the more technical parts of the book, there is discussion about human attributes like cooperation, and the relationship between biological and social evolution, which to me as a Marxist is one of the most important questions for humanity.
“What sets humans apart is not that we cooperate, but how extensively and flexibly we do so—across large groups, with strangers, and in complex ways. This 'puzzle of cooperation' has fascinated scientists for decades, revealing a powerful mix of biological and cultural strategies that have shaped human evolution and continue to influence modern societies... Some of our cooperative behavior may be explained by kin selection—helping relatives who share our genes... Helping relatives makes evolutionary sense: by supporting them, you indirectly support the survival of your own genes. However, this idea doesn’t explain why humans also help strangers, support unrelated friends, or act kindly toward people they may never see again, even across vast distances or differing social groups.”
To me, the remarkable thing is how much cooperation there is, given that we live in a society that rewards selfishness so relentlessly. Competition is obviously a human trait as well, but one does not exclude the other. To me, as I said, the most promising idea in the book is that “Evolution is not solely biological; humans also evolve culturally, transmitting knowledge, behaviors, tools, beliefs, and skills through teaching and learning. This cultural evolution acts in parallel with genetic evolution, and the two constantly influence each other.”
It will take a lot of social evolution and revolution to create a society that is worthy of the best aspects of humanity. The books I want to suggest to accompany this one are firstly Labor, Nature, and the Evolution of Humanity: The Long View of History, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, and The Origins of Materialism: The Evolution of a Scientific View of the World. There are also many, many others, but those are the most relevant to this book.
People who love touchscreens will like this Kindle book even better than I do, because it has options to obtain more information within the book about a specific topic, or to jump ahead, or easily move back. I happen to not be great with touchscreens.
The basic information one gets at the beginning is essential, but unless you're a student you don't have to memorize it. It explains evolution in simple terms and then explains how apes had to change to become us--the legs, hips, and position of the head had to change to have walking upright or running be our usual forms of motion. The arms and hands had to change to be able to throw, to be better adept at toolmaking, and so on. And then the anatomical changes necessary for speech ...
There is time spent both on our prehuman ancestors and on the other varieties of humans (genus homo) that have been discovered. Homo sapiens appears to have interbred with most or all of them. It is not only impossible to be "pure race," but even "pure" species is unlikely.
After getting past the more technical parts of the book, there is discussion about human attributes like cooperation, and the relationship between biological and social evolution, which to me as a Marxist is one of the most important questions for humanity.
“What sets humans apart is not that we cooperate, but how extensively and flexibly we do so—across large groups, with strangers, and in complex ways. This 'puzzle of cooperation' has fascinated scientists for decades, revealing a powerful mix of biological and cultural strategies that have shaped human evolution and continue to influence modern societies... Some of our cooperative behavior may be explained by kin selection—helping relatives who share our genes... Helping relatives makes evolutionary sense: by supporting them, you indirectly support the survival of your own genes. However, this idea doesn’t explain why humans also help strangers, support unrelated friends, or act kindly toward people they may never see again, even across vast distances or differing social groups.”
To me, the remarkable thing is how much cooperation there is, given that we live in a society that rewards selfishness so relentlessly. Competition is obviously a human trait as well, but one does not exclude the other. To me, as I said, the most promising idea in the book is that “Evolution is not solely biological; humans also evolve culturally, transmitting knowledge, behaviors, tools, beliefs, and skills through teaching and learning. This cultural evolution acts in parallel with genetic evolution, and the two constantly influence each other.”
It will take a lot of social evolution and revolution to create a society that is worthy of the best aspects of humanity. The books I want to suggest to accompany this one are firstly Labor, Nature, and the Evolution of Humanity: The Long View of History, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, and The Origins of Materialism: The Evolution of a Scientific View of the World. There are also many, many others, but those are the most relevant to this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and DK for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I thought this was written by Alice Roberts but it's actually written by the DK team with Alice providing an introduction. So, I admit I only requested to read the book because of her, and so I did worry that maybe it wouldn't be what I wanted it to be.
My digital copy didn't have very clear formatting on the images and illustrations so I can't comment fully on those. But from the bits I could see, I think they'll definitely add an extra layer of depth to the topic.
There was actually quite a few formatting issues on my digital arc, which meant I had to search when paragraphs would be cut off mid way, or when an image caption appeared halfway through an unrelated sentence. So again, I can't give it a completely thorough review because I haven't got the full picture, but I will comment on what I could read and the book as a whole.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this but it felt like it was missing something. It's build as the story of humans, where we came from, evolution etc. and that's exactly what we get, so I can't say it didn't deliver. But, I don't know, maybe because I thought it was Alice's book, so maybe I was expecting to read it in her voice. But it felt more like a 300-page spewing of facts but with less concern on how it flowed together as one story.
I don't know how much new the information is. For someone within the science world they might not find it that interesting. But for someone who only has a passion knowledge of human evolution then it is interesting.
After everything I've said, I would recommend it, to those who are interested in science and those who may not clarify themselves as such. But I recommend you read it as a finished physical copy. I don't know what the finished digital copy will be like, but my advanced one was so haphazard that it got in the7 way of reading it and I don't want you to risk that.
I thought this was written by Alice Roberts but it's actually written by the DK team with Alice providing an introduction. So, I admit I only requested to read the book because of her, and so I did worry that maybe it wouldn't be what I wanted it to be.
My digital copy didn't have very clear formatting on the images and illustrations so I can't comment fully on those. But from the bits I could see, I think they'll definitely add an extra layer of depth to the topic.
There was actually quite a few formatting issues on my digital arc, which meant I had to search when paragraphs would be cut off mid way, or when an image caption appeared halfway through an unrelated sentence. So again, I can't give it a completely thorough review because I haven't got the full picture, but I will comment on what I could read and the book as a whole.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this but it felt like it was missing something. It's build as the story of humans, where we came from, evolution etc. and that's exactly what we get, so I can't say it didn't deliver. But, I don't know, maybe because I thought it was Alice's book, so maybe I was expecting to read it in her voice. But it felt more like a 300-page spewing of facts but with less concern on how it flowed together as one story.
I don't know how much new the information is. For someone within the science world they might not find it that interesting. But for someone who only has a passion knowledge of human evolution then it is interesting.
After everything I've said, I would recommend it, to those who are interested in science and those who may not clarify themselves as such. But I recommend you read it as a finished physical copy. I don't know what the finished digital copy will be like, but my advanced one was so haphazard that it got in the7 way of reading it and I don't want you to risk that.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I wanted to read this book not just because the subject appealed to me but also after discovering that Alice Roberts was involved. Rather than feeling like a straightforward overview, it was full of interesting details that kept me turning the pages.
What worked particularly well for me was the balance between information and presentation. I never felt bogged down by detail, yet I came away feeling that I had learned a great deal. The pages are packed with interesting content, but everything is organised in a way that makes it easy to take in.
I also found myself lingering over many of the spreads. There is so much to look at, and the visual elements complement the writing beautifully without distracting from it. It feels like a book that rewards curiosity, as there is always another fact, image, or idea waiting to catch your attention.
This is the sort of non-fiction book that can be enjoyed in short bursts or longer reading sessions. I frequently intended to read a few pages and ended up continuing far longer than planned.
An engaging and thoughtfully put together book that left me with plenty to think about and would make a welcome addition to any home library.
Many thanks to NetGalley and DK for providing this advanced copy
What worked particularly well for me was the balance between information and presentation. I never felt bogged down by detail, yet I came away feeling that I had learned a great deal. The pages are packed with interesting content, but everything is organised in a way that makes it easy to take in.
I also found myself lingering over many of the spreads. There is so much to look at, and the visual elements complement the writing beautifully without distracting from it. It feels like a book that rewards curiosity, as there is always another fact, image, or idea waiting to catch your attention.
This is the sort of non-fiction book that can be enjoyed in short bursts or longer reading sessions. I frequently intended to read a few pages and ended up continuing far longer than planned.
An engaging and thoughtfully put together book that left me with plenty to think about and would make a welcome addition to any home library.
Many thanks to NetGalley and DK for providing this advanced copy
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Humans: The Evolution of a Species is a fascinating book that is certainly going to review and broaden understanding on the evolution of man- Homo sapiens.
This is a book that is accessible for all- and could be regarded as a mix of historical, biological and archaeological knowledge. With an introduction from professor Alice Roberts, the book is divided into different areas of focus - parts of the body and how they have adapted over 350 million years to create the human of today. Comparison to other living creatures are made which builds connections and understanding. Favourite sections- the brain and the mouth and gut. Questions are raised to help us delve deeper into specific areas of evolution.
Illustrations and photographs add further depth - this is a book that could accompany studies or just to expand personal knowledge and how changes in scientific and technological progress have enabled a new image and understanding of humans
You'll never look at the human body in the same way again
Thank you to DK publishing and Netgalley for the advance copy
This is a book that is accessible for all- and could be regarded as a mix of historical, biological and archaeological knowledge. With an introduction from professor Alice Roberts, the book is divided into different areas of focus - parts of the body and how they have adapted over 350 million years to create the human of today. Comparison to other living creatures are made which builds connections and understanding. Favourite sections- the brain and the mouth and gut. Questions are raised to help us delve deeper into specific areas of evolution.
Illustrations and photographs add further depth - this is a book that could accompany studies or just to expand personal knowledge and how changes in scientific and technological progress have enabled a new image and understanding of humans
You'll never look at the human body in the same way again
Thank you to DK publishing and Netgalley for the advance copy
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
An excellent resource documenting the history of humans which I found fascinating. Beautifully illustrated and broken down into smaller sections allowing an easier digestion of the huge amounts of learning available in the guide. Highly recommended.
August 11, 2026
All the science you will need about humans- while still leaving you with a great sense of awe and wonder. I wish more people would read this book in order to understand how modern humans came to be. It still leaves you amazed and fascinated.
June 30, 2026
Interesting.
June 30, 2026
O carte excelentă, împărțită în secțiuni mai mici, ceea ce permite asimilarea mai ușoară a cantității uriașe de informații, ce documentează istoria omenirii - fascinantă.
O recomand cu încredere.
O recomand cu încredere.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews