Description
Discover the groundbreaking book that challenges popular notions of evolution and dietary habits! This brand new edition of Marlene Zuk's insightful work, published by W W Norton & Company in 2014, delves into the intriguing question: Are we truly adapted to our modern lifestyles? With 336 pages of captivating research, Zuk reveals that human evolution is not a static process, and that our bodies and brains have continuously adapted to our changing environments. Rather than embracing outdated beliefs about our ancestors’ diets and ways of living, this compelling read encourages a scientific understanding of human biology. Zuk dismantles common myths, from the idea that our love for crunch mirrors our ancestors' insect snacks to the notion that modern women replicate prehistoric resource-gathering behaviors. With engaging wit and meticulous research, Zuk invites readers to reconsider what it means to evolve. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in evolution, nutrition, and the ways our past influences our present. Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Condition: BRAND NEW. ISBN: 9780393347920.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780393347920
Year: 2014
Publisher: W W Norton & Company
Pages: 336
Description:
We evolved to eat berries rather than bagels, to live in mud huts rather than condos, to sprint barefoot rather than play football”or did we? Are our bodies and brains truly at odds with modern life? Although it may seem as though we have barely had time to shed our hunter-gatherer legacy, biologist Marlene Zuk reveals that the story is not so simple. Popular theories about how our ancestors lived”and why we should emulate them”are often based on speculation, not scientific evidence.
Armed with a razor-sharp wit and brilliant, eye-opening research, Zuk takes us to the cutting edge of biology to show that evolution can work much faster than was previously realized, meaning that we are not biologically the same as our caveman ancestors. Contrary to what the glossy magazines would have us believe, we do not enjoy potato chips because they crunch just like the insects our forebears snacked on. And women don't go into shoe-shopping frenzies because their prehistoric foremothers gathered resources for their clans. As Zuk compellingly argues, such beliefs incorrectly assume that we're stuck”finished evolving”and have been for tens of thousands of years. She draws on fascinating evidence that examines everything from adults' ability to drink milk to the texture of our ear wax to show that we've actually never stopped evolving. Our nostalgic visions of an ideal evolutionary past in which we ate, lived, and reproduced as we were "meant to" fail to recognize that we were never perfectly suited to our environment. Evolution is about change, and every organism is full of trade-offs.
From debunking the caveman d
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780393347920
Year: 2014
Publisher: W W Norton & Company
Pages: 336
Description:
We evolved to eat berries rather than bagels, to live in mud huts rather than condos, to sprint barefoot rather than play football”or did we? Are our bodies and brains truly at odds with modern life? Although it may seem as though we have barely had time to shed our hunter-gatherer legacy, biologist Marlene Zuk reveals that the story is not so simple. Popular theories about how our ancestors lived”and why we should emulate them”are often based on speculation, not scientific evidence.
Armed with a razor-sharp wit and brilliant, eye-opening research, Zuk takes us to the cutting edge of biology to show that evolution can work much faster than was previously realized, meaning that we are not biologically the same as our caveman ancestors. Contrary to what the glossy magazines would have us believe, we do not enjoy potato chips because they crunch just like the insects our forebears snacked on. And women don't go into shoe-shopping frenzies because their prehistoric foremothers gathered resources for their clans. As Zuk compellingly argues, such beliefs incorrectly assume that we're stuck”finished evolving”and have been for tens of thousands of years. She draws on fascinating evidence that examines everything from adults' ability to drink milk to the texture of our ear wax to show that we've actually never stopped evolving. Our nostalgic visions of an ideal evolutionary past in which we ate, lived, and reproduced as we were "meant to" fail to recognize that we were never perfectly suited to our environment. Evolution is about change, and every organism is full of trade-offs.
From debunking the caveman d