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Evolving Ourselves: How Unnatural Selection is Changing Life on Earth
If Darwin were alive today, he would likely recognize that technology has evolved so far, and so fast, that the origin, evolution, and future of life itself is no longer just driven by natural selection and random mutation. Why are genetic conditions like autism, asthma, and allergies on the rise at unprecedented, biologically impossible speeds? What traits does our world select for, and what does that mean for us? Will our children be a different species?
Today’s humans have altered the nature of our world so much, and developed such profound capabilities for re-crafting our bodies and environment, that random mutation and natural selection are no longer the primary determinants of which species survives and how they change over time. The nature of the evolution of our world is now increasingly defined and driven by: Un-Natural Selection-- where the traits being selected for have little to nothing to do with our ability to survive and thrive--and Non-Random Mutation-- in which drastic changes to our environment wreak havoc on what gene are expressed and passed down.
Evolving Ourselves is the story of how our massive human perturbation and, increasingly, our specific designs and desires are altering life on Earth. It is a chronicle of where our remarkable new capabilities for altering our bodies, other living creatures, and our environment are taking us in the near term, and introduces the possibility that we might cause our own extinction in the long run.
Today’s humans have altered the nature of our world so much, and developed such profound capabilities for re-crafting our bodies and environment, that random mutation and natural selection are no longer the primary determinants of which species survives and how they change over time. The nature of the evolution of our world is now increasingly defined and driven by: Un-Natural Selection-- where the traits being selected for have little to nothing to do with our ability to survive and thrive--and Non-Random Mutation-- in which drastic changes to our environment wreak havoc on what gene are expressed and passed down.
Evolving Ourselves is the story of how our massive human perturbation and, increasingly, our specific designs and desires are altering life on Earth. It is a chronicle of where our remarkable new capabilities for altering our bodies, other living creatures, and our environment are taking us in the near term, and introduces the possibility that we might cause our own extinction in the long run.
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2010
49 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Juan Enríquez
11 books64 followersJuan Enríquez Cabot is a Mexican-American academic, businessman, speaker and best selling author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 25, 2020
Very nicely written. Concise & factual but also quite funny. The writers made the information very accessible. The topics discussed were sometimes controversial but it was handled with light humour that was still appropriate. Will definitely pick up other books written by these writers
January 3, 2022
Easy, interesting read about a serious topic
The authors wear their intellect lightly. They cover a deep- and wideranging topic with grace and care, mixing in humour and ensuring clarity all the way. Some of the science is way over my head, but still I could follow what they wanted to convey: they made sure the scientific details do not bog down the gist of the book. Thought-provoking on a very real and deep level.
Hierdie klein boekie takel ’n enorme onderwerp. Hoewel baie van die wetenskaplike besonderhede oor my kop heen glip, kon ek die skrywers se strekking volg: hulle verseker dat die detail nie die basiese gegewe versluier nie. Knap! Ek wag vir die beloofde boek wat meer uitgebreid gaan wees. Dalk is dit al op die rak? Sal moet gaan snuffel!
The authors wear their intellect lightly. They cover a deep- and wideranging topic with grace and care, mixing in humour and ensuring clarity all the way. Some of the science is way over my head, but still I could follow what they wanted to convey: they made sure the scientific details do not bog down the gist of the book. Thought-provoking on a very real and deep level.
Hierdie klein boekie takel ’n enorme onderwerp. Hoewel baie van die wetenskaplike besonderhede oor my kop heen glip, kon ek die skrywers se strekking volg: hulle verseker dat die detail nie die basiese gegewe versluier nie. Knap! Ek wag vir die beloofde boek wat meer uitgebreid gaan wees. Dalk is dit al op die rak? Sal moet gaan snuffel!
June 25, 2011
Homo Evolutis by Juan Enriquez and Steve Gullans
Homo Evolutis is not your typical book, it's more like a presentation of fascinating facts. This short book is about the next prototype human, Homo Evolutis. The authors in sharp-shooting fashion shoot scientific facts about their theory while immersing humor more akin to pranksters. It's interesting, it's mind-blowing science and it works. The short book of 58 pages is composed of seven chapters.
Positives:
1. The theory of a new species, Homo Evolutis.
2. You want facts, you can't handle the facts!
3. It's fascinating, succinct, humorous and scientifically profound while remaining accessible to the masses.
4. Interesting open format, never boring.
5. Thought provoking.
6. Accelerated evolution, right before our eyes?
7. Thinking outside the box, that's what TED is about and this book exemplifies that.
8. Knowledge as an appetizer, sweet indeed.
9. Like a great perfume some of the best ideas do come in a small bottle.
Negatives
1. Not a traditional book. It does not contain well-written engaging prose. It feels more like a PowerPoint presentation.
2. The open formatting will upset the traditionalist.
3. Felt more like a great appetizer than the main entree.
4. Need more scientific proof before we can truly reach the conclusions sought.
In summary, Homo Evolutis is the ultimate tease of science. In a mere 58 pages the authors in a humoristic yet scientifically sound tone introduces us to a potentially new species, Homo Evolutis. The book was fun, interesting, and thought provoking. Is there such a thing as Homo Evolutis? Perhaps the authors are jumping the gun, but they certainly make an interesting case about it and I'm all ears.
Homo Evolutis is not your typical book, it's more like a presentation of fascinating facts. This short book is about the next prototype human, Homo Evolutis. The authors in sharp-shooting fashion shoot scientific facts about their theory while immersing humor more akin to pranksters. It's interesting, it's mind-blowing science and it works. The short book of 58 pages is composed of seven chapters.
Positives:
1. The theory of a new species, Homo Evolutis.
2. You want facts, you can't handle the facts!
3. It's fascinating, succinct, humorous and scientifically profound while remaining accessible to the masses.
4. Interesting open format, never boring.
5. Thought provoking.
6. Accelerated evolution, right before our eyes?
7. Thinking outside the box, that's what TED is about and this book exemplifies that.
8. Knowledge as an appetizer, sweet indeed.
9. Like a great perfume some of the best ideas do come in a small bottle.
Negatives
1. Not a traditional book. It does not contain well-written engaging prose. It feels more like a PowerPoint presentation.
2. The open formatting will upset the traditionalist.
3. Felt more like a great appetizer than the main entree.
4. Need more scientific proof before we can truly reach the conclusions sought.
In summary, Homo Evolutis is the ultimate tease of science. In a mere 58 pages the authors in a humoristic yet scientifically sound tone introduces us to a potentially new species, Homo Evolutis. The book was fun, interesting, and thought provoking. Is there such a thing as Homo Evolutis? Perhaps the authors are jumping the gun, but they certainly make an interesting case about it and I'm all ears.
July 14, 2014
As far as scientific books on extremely complicated subjects go, this book is excellent. It gives a good and comprehensible introduction about evolution, its possibilities, its future and man-made interventions in the process.
Yet there are two major problems with this publication:
The writers' style which, I guess, is supposed to mimic the style of the original TED presentation on which the whole book is based. In a presentation using short sentences mixed with multimedia and occasional jokes can be great to engage the audience, however using the same method in a book, albeit digital, can be very frustrating and it makes really hard to engage with the argument.
There is also a problem with the content: the book starts by giving the impression that humans have already speciated and that the following chapters would prove this thesis. But in fact what the book does is presenting evidence that human evolution is possible and necessary. I am not saying that the information and argument presented are not valuable, but I think that the authors did themselves a disservice by deceiving their audience and raising their expectations instead of preparing them to appreciate the really valuable, though poorly presented, content.
Yet there are two major problems with this publication:
The writers' style which, I guess, is supposed to mimic the style of the original TED presentation on which the whole book is based. In a presentation using short sentences mixed with multimedia and occasional jokes can be great to engage the audience, however using the same method in a book, albeit digital, can be very frustrating and it makes really hard to engage with the argument.
There is also a problem with the content: the book starts by giving the impression that humans have already speciated and that the following chapters would prove this thesis. But in fact what the book does is presenting evidence that human evolution is possible and necessary. I am not saying that the information and argument presented are not valuable, but I think that the authors did themselves a disservice by deceiving their audience and raising their expectations instead of preparing them to appreciate the really valuable, though poorly presented, content.
May 31, 2016
Save your money...as e-books go...this "book" is a joke. A bare outline of current technological work and trends/speculations on speciation.
June 2, 2018
Fascinating, thought provoking, terrifying, amazing.
Everyone needs to read this book.
Everyone needs to read this book.
May 13, 2019
Short, funny, interesting.
December 16, 2014
Watch some of Juan Enriquez presentations and you may notice the following: Short sentence. Pause. Short sentence. Silence. Then a fact(quote, picture or number) is introduced and the audience laughs.
More into his talk and again: short sentence, pause, short sentence, silence. Fact. Only this time the audience remains silent. In wonder, disbelief, awe. Of that mind-boggling scientific discovery that was just revealed. And casually and calmly the speaker goes on to say this happened in that lab, it is currently in experimental stage, but well in a couple of years such and such will happen therefore it's not so difficult to imagine it applied to humans in order to solve this particular problem. And then he usually hints: why not imagine that discovery going even further, not just helping mankind(e.g. restoring health) but enhancing/upgrading mankind too? Enter Homo Evolutis. Fascinating.
I really enjoy Juan Enriquez style and his insights and I do love science and technology.
So how could this book go wrong?
First of all, I believe it tried to imitate that same speaking style which is not easy on paper. It can be tiring, I found it rather unpleasant. Especially in the introduction where not many unknown or exiting things were mentioned. Actually I was confident it was only a humorous attempt to start off the book and then a normal main essay would follow. Alas. It was all like that, very strange in style indeed. I was expecting an essay and what I got was a series of questions, statements, facts, sometimes left unanswered, sometimes answered in a provocative way, sometimes answered with humor. It would still be great stimulation and great food for thought except...except nothing much was new.
And here is my biggest complaint. If you have watched some of the author's talks there are not many more things you will learn by this book. There is no further elaboration on this subject, no philosophical discussion about the impact of this kind of progress on society, even the examples used are the same. Admittedly you will learn some new(and interesting) facts but not enough to justify even the low 2.99 price of this ebook. In my opinion I believe you will be better off going on youtube or TED and enjoy the author presenting these ideas himself or/and wait for the eventual hardcover to be published.
More into his talk and again: short sentence, pause, short sentence, silence. Fact. Only this time the audience remains silent. In wonder, disbelief, awe. Of that mind-boggling scientific discovery that was just revealed. And casually and calmly the speaker goes on to say this happened in that lab, it is currently in experimental stage, but well in a couple of years such and such will happen therefore it's not so difficult to imagine it applied to humans in order to solve this particular problem. And then he usually hints: why not imagine that discovery going even further, not just helping mankind(e.g. restoring health) but enhancing/upgrading mankind too? Enter Homo Evolutis. Fascinating.
I really enjoy Juan Enriquez style and his insights and I do love science and technology.
So how could this book go wrong?
First of all, I believe it tried to imitate that same speaking style which is not easy on paper. It can be tiring, I found it rather unpleasant. Especially in the introduction where not many unknown or exiting things were mentioned. Actually I was confident it was only a humorous attempt to start off the book and then a normal main essay would follow. Alas. It was all like that, very strange in style indeed. I was expecting an essay and what I got was a series of questions, statements, facts, sometimes left unanswered, sometimes answered in a provocative way, sometimes answered with humor. It would still be great stimulation and great food for thought except...except nothing much was new.
And here is my biggest complaint. If you have watched some of the author's talks there are not many more things you will learn by this book. There is no further elaboration on this subject, no philosophical discussion about the impact of this kind of progress on society, even the examples used are the same. Admittedly you will learn some new(and interesting) facts but not enough to justify even the low 2.99 price of this ebook. In my opinion I believe you will be better off going on youtube or TED and enjoy the author presenting these ideas himself or/and wait for the eventual hardcover to be published.
November 22, 2012
SO WHAT?
"We can be certain of one thing: The technologies and changes we are talking about are so powerful that they are changing humanity itself."
Of the eight TED Books I’ve read to date, Juan Enriquez and Steve Gullans’s ‘Homo Evolutis’ is the least of them. It’s written in an annoying, ‘cutesy,’ style; and it’s major premise, that we Homo Sapiens are not the ‘be all, end all’ that some fundamentalist ‘whackos’ might think we are—and that some day our species, too, will pass into oblivion, like 99% of all species have—is more a yawner, than not.
And, I surely don’t find “…the idea of a rapid evolution of our species into a species that directly and deliberately guides its own evolution, and that of other species,” so “completely outlandish."
Never have.
The one redeeming feature of this book is the embedded, jaw-dropping, TEDtalks, video of Dr. Anthony Atala’s research and accomplishments in ‘growing’ new organs.
Recommendation: Definitely watch Dr. Atala’s TEDtalk video, free online and skip this book.
"99.96 percent of the entire history of the universe took place before the first hominids, never mind the first humans, showed their ugly mugs."
TED Books edition
"We can be certain of one thing: The technologies and changes we are talking about are so powerful that they are changing humanity itself."
Of the eight TED Books I’ve read to date, Juan Enriquez and Steve Gullans’s ‘Homo Evolutis’ is the least of them. It’s written in an annoying, ‘cutesy,’ style; and it’s major premise, that we Homo Sapiens are not the ‘be all, end all’ that some fundamentalist ‘whackos’ might think we are—and that some day our species, too, will pass into oblivion, like 99% of all species have—is more a yawner, than not.
And, I surely don’t find “…the idea of a rapid evolution of our species into a species that directly and deliberately guides its own evolution, and that of other species,” so “completely outlandish."
Never have.
The one redeeming feature of this book is the embedded, jaw-dropping, TEDtalks, video of Dr. Anthony Atala’s research and accomplishments in ‘growing’ new organs.
Recommendation: Definitely watch Dr. Atala’s TEDtalk video, free online and skip this book.
"99.96 percent of the entire history of the universe took place before the first hominids, never mind the first humans, showed their ugly mugs."
TED Books edition
January 10, 2012
TED- super! Książki na podstawie TEDa- jeszcze lepiej!
No właśnie nie do końca. Temat ciekawy, w środku też trochę interesujących informacji, ale...
Matko Boska Żartobliwa, kto to składał! Gdzie był redaktor, kiedy wypuszczali do sklepu tą książkę?! 3 do 4 różnych rozmiarów czcionek na jednej stronie. Akapity w losowych miejscach. 15-to stronicowy wstęp o tym jacy to kreacjoniści są głupi (każdy to wie - po co pisać o tym przez 15 stron, które można zapełnić ciekawymi informacjami). Naprawdę, nie dało się lepiej? A może "lepiej" autorzy planują dopiero w nadchodzącej pełnoprawnej publikacji (o której panowie wspominają ze trzy razy w stylu "tu tylko o tym wspomnimy, ale w naszej mega-uber książce będzie to porządnie omówione" arghh).
Tragedii może nie ma, ale niestety ciężko polecić...
No właśnie nie do końca. Temat ciekawy, w środku też trochę interesujących informacji, ale...
Matko Boska Żartobliwa, kto to składał! Gdzie był redaktor, kiedy wypuszczali do sklepu tą książkę?! 3 do 4 różnych rozmiarów czcionek na jednej stronie. Akapity w losowych miejscach. 15-to stronicowy wstęp o tym jacy to kreacjoniści są głupi (każdy to wie - po co pisać o tym przez 15 stron, które można zapełnić ciekawymi informacjami). Naprawdę, nie dało się lepiej? A może "lepiej" autorzy planują dopiero w nadchodzącej pełnoprawnej publikacji (o której panowie wspominają ze trzy razy w stylu "tu tylko o tym wspomnimy, ale w naszej mega-uber książce będzie to porządnie omówione" arghh).
Tragedii może nie ma, ale niestety ciężko polecić...
March 26, 2015
The provided information, the new knowledge are, without argument from me, interesting.
I was glad to have read this book.
Now let me get to the reason, why the star rating is not better: Style, layout, editing
Name it like you want
- Single sentence paragraphs
It makes you feel like you read a constant stream of yellow press tabloid headlines
- Humor
Now and then a quick one liners have been funny and made a good job of making the text lighter. Most of the time they felt too much, inappropriate and I could see before my inner eyes, how the author was just too delightedly giggling over his own funniness. I don't ask for dust-dry scientific lectures, but this was just too forced
I was glad to have read this book.
Now let me get to the reason, why the star rating is not better: Style, layout, editing
Name it like you want
- Single sentence paragraphs
It makes you feel like you read a constant stream of yellow press tabloid headlines
- Humor
Now and then a quick one liners have been funny and made a good job of making the text lighter. Most of the time they felt too much, inappropriate and I could see before my inner eyes, how the author was just too delightedly giggling over his own funniness. I don't ask for dust-dry scientific lectures, but this was just too forced
March 11, 2017
Very informative
This short book discusses various ways that our species could be still evolving. It is a very entertaining, and educational book.
This short book discusses various ways that our species could be still evolving. It is a very entertaining, and educational book.
January 30, 2011
Lo consiglio a chi non ha tempo di leggersi Nature o Science la mattina a colazione per sapere cosa sta succededendo nei laboratori di tutto il mondo dopo la mappatura del genoma umano.
Sono ricerche e pratiche che conducono a possibili evoluzioni della specie "homo sapiens" che, volenti o nolenti, stanno già avvenendo sotto i microscopi ma anche sotto i nostri stessi occhi.
Gli autori non fanno mancare occasioni di discussioni sull'etica che questa scienza provoca relativamente alle possibili applicazioni.
Sono ricerche e pratiche che conducono a possibili evoluzioni della specie "homo sapiens" che, volenti o nolenti, stanno già avvenendo sotto i microscopi ma anche sotto i nostri stessi occhi.
Gli autori non fanno mancare occasioni di discussioni sull'etica che questa scienza provoca relativamente alle possibili applicazioni.
January 16, 2015
Homo Evolutis by Juan Enriquez and Steve Gullans (two of the world's most important science authors, and researchers) is a very complete book about scientifical speculation on what would be the evolution after the homo sapiens (us). There have been at least 25 prototype humans. By the end you will see a map of life change. Not just our bodies will change but our religion, government, and social structures in general; all of these makes the transition to a new species, Homo Evolutis. This book is perfect to people that have asked themselves, what's next?
December 24, 2014
While addressing a very important topic related to genetics, explanations are a little too brief even considering this is an eBook. A follow up of this very rough walk through is absolutely needed to dig deeper into the really interesting topics.
Its huge spaces between sentences make it easy to read, adding to the fast-paced writing style Enriquez has, even though it also contributes to the feeling in the end that very little has been added from the TED talk that also deals with this concept.
Its huge spaces between sentences make it easy to read, adding to the fast-paced writing style Enriquez has, even though it also contributes to the feeling in the end that very little has been added from the TED talk that also deals with this concept.
January 2, 2014
Not a bad read, but not all that interesting either. I met the central thesis, that homo sapiens are evolving into a new species, with a big "so what?" The only way this is a shocking premise is if you believe that humans exist outside of the natural world. If you know that humans are mammals that have evolved significantly then it makes it inevitable that humans will eventually evolve into a new species.
February 4, 2014
Un libro con una tematica muy interesante, pero con una estructura, ciertamente desconcertante, varios parrafos formados por una sola palabra, diferentes tipos y tamaños de letras, desde enormes y en negrita, hasta otras diminutas que ocupan una pequeña esquina de la pagina, en definitiva un caos. Muy dificil de leer a causa de esto, pero tremendamente original y despliega un gran sentido del humor para tratar temas bastante áridos, lo que se agradece bastante.
Muy recomendable.
Muy recomendable.
May 24, 2014
Science, good science, is not in the business of disproving anything. It's not a tool for deciding who's right or wrong, and it's especially not a bludgeon for belittling those who understand less than you do. This book exemplifies what a book about science shouldn't be: condescending, obtuse and shamefully dictatorial. As I've written before, no one will be brought over from the dark side by this blunt object of a book. I am happy to have removed it from my Kindle. Not recommended.
November 18, 2014
The idea's he's is sharing are worth sharing and his words speak of the excitement and passion he feels for them. This makes a very entertaining read, though maybe a bit rushed. I can't wait for Mr. Enriquez to release the expanded book. The books is incredibly sourced with links to articles and sites that are wonderful. Recommended.
February 25, 2011
Enriquez is exactly suited to my style, uber-geeky humor, seemingly wild optimism about our potential, but best of all, robust footnotes to study after study giving the reader better grounds from which to judge each claim. Because of the subject matter, I'd recommend it to everyone I know.
March 17, 2012
A mind-opening look at how humans have evolved in he past and how humans may evolve in the future. The question is raised if human beings may begin to design our own evolution. Fun read...short and sweet.
March 11, 2014
This book is not for the fain-hearted as it's written in an unusual format perhaps more suitable to comic-book perhaps.
Don't be put off by this though as once into the book the format is quite fitting...just be aware of this.
Great book with some interesting ideas...sorry no spoilers...
Don't be put off by this though as once into the book the format is quite fitting...just be aware of this.
Great book with some interesting ideas...sorry no spoilers...
October 26, 2014
If you are curious about human evolution or wondered where our evolution is going, you need to read this book. The authors present a good argument that will make you wonder. Whether you believe it our not, this Kindle single is worth reading.
April 3, 2011
As usual Juan Enriquez scratches the surface of the shape of things to comes - and keeps us on tenter hooks.
May 17, 2011
Just about the size of a large article but jam-packed with things to think about. I'm looking forward to more of these short-form ebooks.
May 30, 2011
powerpoint on steroids, without the animation. Nothing you haven't read already.
September 22, 2011
not so much a book, but a conversion of presentation slides. interesting and though provoking in bitesized form.
November 26, 2012
Fascinating stuff!
March 5, 2012
Researched for it!
July 31, 2012
Horrible... great idea destroyed by treating a book like a PowerPoint presentation
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews