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The Story of the Human Body
- Evolution, Health, and Disease
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
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The Story of the Human Body
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Summary
In this landmark book of popular science, Daniel E. Lieberman - chair of the department of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and a leader in the field - gives us a lucid and engaging account of how the human body evolved over millions of years, even as it shows how the increasing disparity between the jumble of adaptations in our Stone Age bodies and advancements in the modern world is occasioning this paradox: greater longevity but increased chronic disease.
The Story of the Human Body brilliantly illuminates as never before the major transformations that contributed key adaptations to the body: the rise of bipedalism; the shift to a non-fruit-based diet; the advent of hunting and gathering, leading to our superlative endurance athleticism; the development of a very large brain; and the incipience of cultural proficiencies. Lieberman also elucidates how cultural evolution differs from biological evolution, and how our bodies were further transformed during the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions.
While these ongoing changes have brought about many benefits, they have also created conditions to which our bodies are not entirely adapted, Lieberman argues, resulting in the growing incidence of obesity and new but avoidable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Lieberman proposes that many of these chronic illnesses persist and in some cases are intensifying because of "dysevolution," a pernicious dynamic whereby only the symptoms rather than the causes of these maladies are treated. And finally - provocatively - he advocates the use of evolutionary information to help nudge, push, and sometimes even compel us to create a more salubrious environment.
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- Matthew Shemilt
- 20-09-23
Insightful and intelligent
Game changing body of information for anyone interested in improving themselves through the lens / context of evolution.
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- tracy
- 25-08-17
Awesome
Totally inspiring and really eye opening. If you want to know what modern day living is doing to us this is a must read/listen. This book has really motivated me to make some serious changes in my life. Highly recommend
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1 person found this helpful
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- Wild Bunny
- 26-02-18
Brilliant
Just a short review but I really enjoyed this and it gave me plenty of food for thought.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-03-20
An evolutionary epic
A superbly, thought-provokingly written and well explored series of insights into the mismatched life most of lead. An engaging narrative keeps the book enjoyably flowing along, informing and engaging you into the origins of the humans we currently are. Brilliant.
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- swahsam
- 09-09-23
Excellent review of evolution and dysevution
Superbly summarised and presented with rationale to adapt sensible lifestyle, if one wishes.
Liked the narrator +++
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- Adam
- 18-04-24
Really great book on the human body
The whole audiobook I thought was insightful, fact full, very interesting. It’s clearly written from an expert and this is the type of content kids should be learning instead of “experts” in nutrition and movement on social media! Will deffo re-read/listen to this again sometime and create a cheat sheet!
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- Amirah Sanneh
- 27-04-18
After the Origin of Species! This book is the one!
I relate to this book big time because I read the tile of Charles Darwin's " On the Origin of Species!" And can see and understand every chapter on this book. All this book is pointing out is "Missmatch Diseases " and " Disevolution" ! As Mankin saw the trick of life, It's our time now to materialise the saying " Man was born on Earth but will not die on Earth" it sound silly but of all species that evolved on Earth and Extinct on Earth did really die on Earth. As President Emmanuel Macron of France said " There is NO Planet B" Really means that once we destroy our planet, really there's no second Planet to go to.
Mismatch Diseases and Disevolution must be managed and eradicated as long as we want to Enjoy Mother Earth for the foreseeable future
period!!!
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- gerrard
- 08-07-15
A Must Listen
What about Sean Runnette’s performance did you like?
It was fine
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Chapters 10 and 11 are fantastic and I listen to them over and over
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- Conor
- 21-03-17
Very interesting. Well narrated.
Very interesting audiobook. Very well researched info. Very clear and narrated by Sean made it even more enjoyable. Recommended.
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- Dr Alison Phelan PHD
- 25-08-19
Brilliant
Wonderful book and well read. Amongst my top 5 books. Excellent
Couldn’t put it down.
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