Audiobook11 hours
Homo Mysterious: Evolutionary Puzzles of Human Nature
Written by David P. Barash
Narrated by Joe Barrett
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
For all that science knows about the living world, notes David P. Barash, there are even more things that we don't know, genuine evolutionary mysteries that perplex the best minds in biology. Paradoxically, many of these mysteries are very close to home, involving some of the most personal aspects of being human.
Homo Mysterious examines a number of these evolutionary mysteries, exploring things that we don't yet know about ourselves, laying out the best current hypotheses, and pointing toward insights that scientists are just beginning to glimpse. Why do women experience orgasm? Why do men have a shorter lifespan than women? Why does homosexuality exist? Why does religion exist in virtually every culture? Why do we have a fondness for the arts? Why do we have such large brains? And why does consciousness exist? Listeners are plunged into an ocean of unknowns-the blank spots on the human evolutionary map, the terra incognita of our own species-and are introduced to the major hypotheses that currently occupy scientists who are attempting to unravel each puzzle (including some solutions proposed here for the first time). Throughout the book, readers are invited to share the thrill of science at its cutting edge, a place where we know what we don't know, and, moreover, where we know enough to come up with some compelling and seductive explanations.
Homo Mysterious is a guide to creative thought and future explorations, based on the best, most current thinking by evolutionary scientists. It captures the allure of the "not-yet-known" for those interested in stretching their scientific imaginations.
Homo Mysterious examines a number of these evolutionary mysteries, exploring things that we don't yet know about ourselves, laying out the best current hypotheses, and pointing toward insights that scientists are just beginning to glimpse. Why do women experience orgasm? Why do men have a shorter lifespan than women? Why does homosexuality exist? Why does religion exist in virtually every culture? Why do we have a fondness for the arts? Why do we have such large brains? And why does consciousness exist? Listeners are plunged into an ocean of unknowns-the blank spots on the human evolutionary map, the terra incognita of our own species-and are introduced to the major hypotheses that currently occupy scientists who are attempting to unravel each puzzle (including some solutions proposed here for the first time). Throughout the book, readers are invited to share the thrill of science at its cutting edge, a place where we know what we don't know, and, moreover, where we know enough to come up with some compelling and seductive explanations.
Homo Mysterious is a guide to creative thought and future explorations, based on the best, most current thinking by evolutionary scientists. It captures the allure of the "not-yet-known" for those interested in stretching their scientific imaginations.
Related to Homo Mysterious
Related audiobooks
Evolution: What Everyone Needs to Know Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ravenous Brain: How the New Science of Consciousness Explains Our Insatiable Search for Meaning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThis Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Human Instinct: How We Evolved to Have Reason, Consciousness, and Free Will Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Not Born Yesterday: The Science of Who We Trust and What We Believe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Great Myths of Human Evolution: Understanding Misconceptions about Our Origins Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Irrationality: A History of the Dark Side of Reason Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Consciousness Instinct: Unraveling the Mystery of How the Brain Makes the Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SURVIVE: Why We Do What We Do Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Origins of Creativity Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sentience: The Invention of Consciousness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Social Leap: The New Evolutionary Science of Who We Are, Where We Come From, and What Makes Us Happy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Taste for the Beautiful: The Evolution of Attraction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cognitive Gadgets: The Cultural Evolution of Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scienceblind: Why Our Intuitive Theories About the World Are So Often Wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Human Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meme Machine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Failure: Why Science Is So Successful Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ancestors in Our Genome: The New Science of Human Evolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Smart Neanderthal: Bird Catching, Cave Art & The Cognitive Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Evolutionary Psychology I: The Science of Human Nature: The Science of Human Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Biological Mind: How Brain, Body, and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs, and Behaviors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Biology For You
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Change Your Brain, Change Your Life (Before 25): Change Your Developing Mind for Real-World Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Radiolab: Journey Through The Human Body Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don't Have To Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Second Nature: A Gardener's Education Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How the Mind Works Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Uncertain Sea: Fear is everywhere. Embrace it. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hot Zone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity in Our Society Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rewire: Break the Cycle, Alter Your Thoughts and Create Lasting Change (Your Neurotoolkit for Everyday Life) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Homo Mysterious
Rating: 3.4999999714285717 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
7 ratings1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In this book, Professor Barash attempts to enlighten us on some of the mysteries of human evolution. If we think of humans as evolutionary beings with natural selection designed to favour reproduction and survival, many things about the way we've evolved seem unnecessary, if not downright counterproductive. The author explores concealed ovulation (even from the person ovulating!), homosexuality, religion, art and other topics He doesn't provide definite conclusions about them, but sets out current theories as well as relevant research that supports or disproves them. He also makes no moral judgements -- this is about science.The writing style is largely engaging, with some funny asides in the footnotes. A bit repetitious. Sometimes, I found it hard to follow his connections or logic. I think the writing could've been a little clearer at times. Certainly interesting for anyone who likes to ponder the mysteries of why we are they way we are!