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The Third Chimpanzee

The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal (P.S.)

By Jared Diamond

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| Paperback | 9780060845506

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Book Description

The Development of an Extraordinary Species

We human beings share 98 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. Yet humans are the dominant species on the planet -- having founded civilizations and religions, developed intricate and diverse forms of communication, learned science, builtContinue

The Development of an Extraordinary Species

We human beings share 98 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. Yet humans are the dominant species on the planet -- having founded civilizations and religions, developed intricate and diverse forms of communication, learned science, built cities, and created breathtaking works of art -- while chimps remain animals concerned primarily with the basic necessities of survival. What is it about that two percent difference in DNA that has created such a divergence between evolutionary cousins? In this fascinating, provocative, passionate, funny, endlessly entertaining work, renowned Pulitzer Prize–winning author and scientist Jared Diamond explores how the extraordinary human animal, in a remarkably short time, developed the capacity to rule the world . . . and the means to irrevocably destroy it.

Critics

  • Lotharios

    It is fatally easy to read into the animal world what we would like to see in our own, to explain the human condition as an inevitable consequence of our biology. Even Charles Darwin was at fault. Hidden in his unpublished notebooks is the damning pa ... (read full critics)

    lrb published on Mon, 6 Sep 2010

5 Reviews

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  • 2 people find this helpful

    A very intelligent, provocative, and at times very humorous book. He spent the first half examining the current dominate theories and became increasingly speculative towards the end.

    If I have to pick one instance, I find his explanation on why men smoke the most memorable. Read this some tim ... (continue)

    A very intelligent, provocative, and at times very humorous book. He spent the first half examining the current dominate theories and became increasingly speculative towards the end.

    If I have to pick one instance, I find his explanation on why men smoke the most memorable. Read this some time ago but this observation of his as well as many others still pop into my head whenever i go people-watching. Oh so much fun.

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    Gabiq said on Sep 6, 2008 | Add your feedback

  • Despues de haber leido Armas, Germenes y Acero, tenia ganas de acercarme a algun otro estudio de Diamond. Este libro, escrito ya hace unos cuantos aNos, se adentra en la exploracion del comportamiento humano, asi en general, a traves de la logica puramente evolutiva, en la mayoria de los casos. Pese ... (continue)

    Despues de haber leido Armas, Germenes y Acero, tenia ganas de acercarme a algun otro estudio de Diamond. Este libro, escrito ya hace unos cuantos aNos, se adentra en la exploracion del comportamiento humano, asi en general, a traves de la logica puramente evolutiva, en la mayoria de los casos. Pese a estar un tanto desfasado en ciiertos capitulos, y contar con algunas conclusiones un tanto dudosas (al menos en la manera en que estan explicadas: p.e: la explicacion sobre las diferencias etnicas basandose en las preferencias sexuales), se deja leer con faclilidad, esta bien estructrurado y resulta, cunado menos, interesante. Por otro lado, deja entrever las tematicas de sus siguientes libros: tanto que me he llegado a saltar capitulos enteros al conocermelos de antemano.

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    Maikrr said on Jan 12, 2012 | Add your feedback

  • everytime i read jared diamond's books i seriously feel smarter, if only for the brief period i still remember what i read.

    in only 300-odd pages he manages to give us a history of how we got from chimpanzees all the way to modern humans, and how we've managed to change the planet in the past, and ... (continue)

    everytime i read jared diamond's books i seriously feel smarter, if only for the brief period i still remember what i read.

    in only 300-odd pages he manages to give us a history of how we got from chimpanzees all the way to modern humans, and how we've managed to change the planet in the past, and how we might be changing it in future (not so optimistic in that sense).

    have heard about this book for so long and glad to have finally read it.

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    Michaelkchan said on Dec 5, 2010 | Add your feedback

  • In Your Inner Fish, A Journey Into the 3.5 - Billion - Year History of the Human Body, Dr. Neil Shubin details how evolutionary adaptations in the early history of life on earth helped to shape, and left their stamp on the human form.

    Professor Shubin begins the book with a chapter detailing his di ... (continue)

    In Your Inner Fish, A Journey Into the 3.5 - Billion - Year History of the Human Body, Dr. Neil Shubin details how evolutionary adaptations in the early history of life on earth helped to shape, and left their stamp on the human form.

    Professor Shubin begins the book with a chapter detailing his discovery of Tiktaalik roseae, an important transitional fish species, fossilized in a remote region of northern Canada. He then proceeds to show how important aspects of human anatomy can be traced back to the limbs of this primitive fish, how discoveries about stages of embryo development can shine a light on how genes work to build our bodies, and how our current body structures evolved from our more primitive ancestors, all the way, comparing parts of human anatomy with earlier, more primitive forms in other animals, from fish to jellyfish, to anemones to bacteria.

    Shubin may well be one of the best writers of popular science today. I recommend this book heartily to anyone who wants to learn a lot more about themselves and the natural world.

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    Dowekeller said on Feb 19, 2010 | Add your feedback

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