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The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being Alice Roberts

The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being By Alice Roberts

The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being by Alice Roberts


Summary

The presenter of the BBC's The Incredible Human Journey gives us a new and highly accessible look at our own bodies and into the past to uncover the evolutionary secrets hidden in all of us.

The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being Summary

The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being: Evolution and the Making of Us by Alice Roberts

'From your brain to your fingertips, you emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper understanding of yourself' Richard Dawkins

'A masterful account of why our bodies are the way they are . . . this book really shines . . . Roberts's lightness of touch is joyous, and celebratory' Observer

'Witty, personal and above all informed by passion and deep knowledge, this is the story of you, not just from conception onwards but from the millions of years of evolution that have shaped the way we are today' Adam Rutherford

***SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE***

Alice Roberts takes you on the most incredible journey, revealing your path from a single cell to a complex embryo to a living, breathing, thinking person. It's a story that connects us with our distant ancestors and an extraordinary, unlikely chain of events that shaped human development and left a mark on all of us. Alice Roberts uses the latest research to uncover the evolutionary history hidden in all of us, from the secrets found only in our embryos and genes - including why as embroyos we have what look like gills - to those visible in your anatomy. This is a tale of discovery, exploring why and how we have developed as we have. This is your story, told as never before.

The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being Reviews

Alice Roberts tells us about the most amazing story on the planet - the creation of the human animal. Nothing is more extraordinary and her guided tour of the human body takes us on a fascinating journey of self-discovery -- Desmond Morris
A masterful account of why our bodies are the way they are ... Roberts skilfully and knowledgeably weaves embryology, genetics, anatomy, evolution and zoology to tell the incredible story of the human body ... It is in comparative anatomy that this book really shines ... Roberts's anatomical expertise is seductive ... Roberts's lightness of touch is joyous, and celebratory -- Adam Rutherford * Observer *
Roberts's engagingly personal style connects you to your ancestors, to your own personal beginnings as a single cell and, in a most attractive way, to herself as an author of great charm. From your brain to your fingertips, you emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper understanding of yourself -- Richard Dawkins
A brilliant account of how a single cell transforms itself into a living, breathing, thinking person. The book exudes physicality, it is like having an intellectual massage of every muscle in your body - afterwards you are keenly aware of your body and feel like a different person -- Mark Miodownik * author of The Genius of Invention *
The biggest gap in biology is that between DNA . . . and living creatures . . . Alice Roberts has set out to find it. With wit and enthusiasm, she succeeds -- Steve Jones * Geneticist and author of The Single Helix *

About Alice Roberts

Alice Roberts is an anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, anthropologist, television presenter, author and professor at the University of Birmingham. She has presented The Incredible Human Journey and Coast on BBC 2 and Inside Science on Radio 4. She lives in Bristol with her husband and two children.

Table of Contents

BEGINNINGS: The mystery of conception and the history written in your body. HEADS AND BRAINS: From the origin of the vertebrate head to the phenomenal growth of the human brain. SKULLS AND SENSES: Laying the foundations for building a skull, and growing organs to sense the world around us. SPEECH AND GILLS: The watery origins of the voicebox. SPINES AND SEGMENTS: A pattern for life and the evolution of an S-shaped spine. RIBS, LUNGS AND HEARTS: The ribs of our ancestors and the heart and lungs of a fish. GUTS AND YOLK SACS: Links with egg-laying ancestors and fruit-eating apes. GONADS, GENITALS AND GESTATION: The anatomy of reproduction and the helplessness of human babies. ON THE NATURE OF LIMBS: Fins, limbs and ancestors. HIP TO TOE: Learning to walk before you run. SHOULDERS AND THUMBS: Climbing ancestors and unique human hands. THE MAKING OF US: Finding our twig on the tree of life. Acknowledgements. Further reading. List of illustrations. Index.

Additional information

GOR008500092
9781848664777
184866477X
The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being: Evolution and the Making of Us by Alice Roberts
Used - Like New
Hardback
Quercus Publishing
20140904
320
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Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
The book has been read, but looks new. The book cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket is included if applicable. No missing or damaged pages, no tears, possible very minimal creasing, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins

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