Human origins books
Human origins books to start from. Open one to see books like it, or tell BookSense what you loved for four picks made for you.
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New to the genre? These 5 are the books to read first.
Your Inner Fish
Neil ShubinA paleontologist traces human anatomy back through fish, amphibians and early mammals, using fossils and embryology to show shared body plans.
A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived
Adam RutherfordUses human genetics to explain how populations have mixed, migrated and diverged over tens of thousands of years.
The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee
Jared DiamondArgues that humans are one of three chimpanzee species and surveys how human biology and culture diverged from our closest relatives.
The Seven Daughters of Eve
Bryan SykesUses mitochondrial DNA lineages to trace maternal ancestry in European populations back to a small number of founding women.
The Ancestor's Tale
Richard DawkinsWalks back through the human family tree, showing shared ancestry with other living species at each branching point.
Chosen and described with AI from our notes on the genre.
More human origins books
- The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex
The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to SexCharles Darwin - The Naked Ape
The Naked ApeDesmond Morris - The Origin of Species
The Origin of SpeciesCharles Darwin - The Human Animal
The Human AnimalDesmond Morris - Sapiens
SapiensYuval Noah Harari2011 - Origin and evolution of languages
Origin and evolution of languagesBernard Laks2007 - Greatest Show on Earth
Greatest Show on EarthRichard Dawkins2009 - What is life?
What is life?Erwin Schrödinger1944 - Man after Man
Man after ManDougal Dixon1981 - The singularity is near
The singularity is nearRay Kurzweil2005 - How the Mind Works
How the Mind WorksSteven Pinker1997 - Sex at dawn
Sex at dawnChristopher Ryan2010