Evolution Gone Wrong: The Curious Reasons Why Our Bodies Work (Or Don't)
- Downloads：4240
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-22 06:51:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alexander Bezzerides
- ISBN：1335690050
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A fascinating， irreverent guide to human evolution and what it means for our bodies today
An eye-opening look into why our bodies work--or don't--the way they do。 From blurry vision， to crooked teeth， ACLs that tear at alarming rates and spines that seem to spend a lifetime falling apart， it's a curious thing that human beings have beaten the odds as a species。 After all， we're the only survivors on our branch of the tree of life。 Why is it that human mothers have such a life-endangering experience giving birth？ And why are there entire medical specialties for teeth and feet？ In this funny， wide-ranging and often surprising book， biologist Alex Bezzerides tells us just where we inherited our adaptable， achy， brilliant bodies in the process of evolution。
The book traces the delightfully unexpected answers to these questions and many more:
Why do we blink？
Why don't our teeth regularly fit in our mouths？
Why do women menstruate when so many other mammals don't？
Why did humans stand up on two legs in the first place？
An eye-opening look into why our bodies work--or don't--the way they do。 From blurry vision， to crooked teeth， ACLs that tear at alarming rates and spines that seem to spend a lifetime falling apart， it's a curious thing that human beings have beaten the odds as a species。 After all， we're the only survivors on our branch of the tree of life。 Why is it that human mothers have such a life-endangering experience giving birth？ And why are there entire medical specialties for teeth and feet？ In this funny， wide-ranging and often surprising book， biologist Alex Bezzerides tells us just where we inherited our adaptable， achy， brilliant bodies in the process of evolution。
The book traces the delightfully unexpected answers to these questions and many more:
Why do we blink？
Why don't our teeth regularly fit in our mouths？
Why do women menstruate when so many other mammals don't？
Why did humans stand up on two legs in the first place？
Reviews
Sharon
，
This book was off to a good start！ It is interesting from an evolutionary perspective to find out why so many of us wear glasses and have too many teeth for our small jaws。 The menstruation and birthing sections did not work for - I don't need a male perspective on those issues。 He is also incredibly negative and dismisses our animal cousins as beneath us。 This book was off to a good start！ It is interesting from an evolutionary perspective to find out why so many of us wear glasses and have too many teeth for our small jaws。 The menstruation and birthing sections did not work for - I don't need a male perspective on those issues。 He is also incredibly negative and dismisses our animal cousins as beneath us。 。。。more
Melissa
，
An entertaining discussion of the ways in which evolution， forced to “renovate previous models，” isn’t able to create humans （or any other species） as efficiently as if designing them from scratch。 I already knew a fair amount of the information presented， but I learned new details and was inspired to think about it in new ways。 （At times I was reminded of Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin。） There were other topics I hadn’t explored at all （e。g。 cross-species differences in the menstrual cycle and An entertaining discussion of the ways in which evolution， forced to “renovate previous models，” isn’t able to create humans （or any other species） as efficiently as if designing them from scratch。 I already knew a fair amount of the information presented， but I learned new details and was inspired to think about it in new ways。 （At times I was reminded of Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin。） There were other topics I hadn’t explored at all （e。g。 cross-species differences in the menstrual cycle and early pregnancy and why those differences exist，） so that was fun。 And I’m fascinated by the thought of Homo sapiens as a transitional species！ Overall， I found this book to be thoughtful and insightful， and I enjoyed it。 。。。more
DC Penny
，
This was a most pleasant read for 3 reasons: 1。 It delivered baskets full of facts， answers to questions that I had never thought to ask， and lots of questions begging for answers。 2。 It was all meat and no fillers or the bane of nonfiction books， author's never ceasing bloviations， that often turn a 200 page book into a 400 page book and 3。 the author had a real sense of humor。 This was a most pleasant read for 3 reasons: 1。 It delivered baskets full of facts， answers to questions that I had never thought to ask， and lots of questions begging for answers。 2。 It was all meat and no fillers or the bane of nonfiction books， author's never ceasing bloviations， that often turn a 200 page book into a 400 page book and 3。 the author had a real sense of humor。 。。。more
Christian
，
3。5 stars。 A good read， but left a little bit of meat on the bones。 Definitely a good intro， but was hoping for a tiny bit more than relieved。 Overall， not a bad investment though。
Louis Sylvester
，
An entertaining and informative book about why the human body suffers in predictable ways。 The scientific writing is clear and educational without ever slipping into confusing jargon。 Each page is packed with interesting insights into how evolution has shaped the human body。 Alex Bezzerides infuses each chapter with bouts of humor that helps to keep the reader engaged。 He also finds ways to use stories from his own life to bring elevated scientific concepts down to the personal level。 After read An entertaining and informative book about why the human body suffers in predictable ways。 The scientific writing is clear and educational without ever slipping into confusing jargon。 Each page is packed with interesting insights into how evolution has shaped the human body。 Alex Bezzerides infuses each chapter with bouts of humor that helps to keep the reader engaged。 He also finds ways to use stories from his own life to bring elevated scientific concepts down to the personal level。 After reading this book， I feel like I know what Alex is like as a teacher and I want to take his class！ 。。。more
Kimberly B
，
Just fantastic！ This is a very approachable and hilarious book packed with science。
Max
，
Entertaining and humorous look at the wonky outcomes of human evolution。 Learned a lot too！ Audio narration was spot on capturing the light hearted asides。
Paleoanthro
，
Written with humor and intelligence， you will fly through this fascinating book， with a smile on your face along the way， as you learn the impact our evolution ancestry had on the human body and why it was designed the way it was， and how that often contributes to the aches and pains we experience。 Wonderfully written， elegantly researched， and easy to understand， this is a book well worth your time and will leave you with fascinating facts and insights that you will want to share。
Thomas Beard
，
A serious treatment of this topic is worth a good three stars minimum。 Bezzerides' engaging writing gets him up to five。 The facts and theories come rapid fire， and all together they make a fascinating argument toward why we're so well and so poorly suited to modern life。 A serious treatment of this topic is worth a good three stars minimum。 Bezzerides' engaging writing gets him up to five。 The facts and theories come rapid fire， and all together they make a fascinating argument toward why we're so well and so poorly suited to modern life。 。。。more
Joan
，
about halfway through， the author gets sidetracked telling story after story about his wife's pregnancy。 he's a sensitive and caring husband and father， but he failed to keep the anecdotes relevant to the thesis of the book。 about halfway through， the author gets sidetracked telling story after story about his wife's pregnancy。 he's a sensitive and caring husband and father， but he failed to keep the anecdotes relevant to the thesis of the book。 。。。more
Bookclubbish
，
CategoriesPhysical Impairments， Social History， History of Science， Pain Management
Kate
，
I received an ARC of Evolution Gone Wrong through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher。 I am always a little weary diving into non-fiction books especially if they are related to science。 Will they be too dense or perhaps too advanced for a beginner like me。 With Evolution Gone Wrong， the author Alexander Bezzerides was able to touch upon numerous areas of human evolution and how it currently affects our everyday lives in a way that provided plenty of information without overwhelming the reader。 I received an ARC of Evolution Gone Wrong through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher。 I am always a little weary diving into non-fiction books especially if they are related to science。 Will they be too dense or perhaps too advanced for a beginner like me。 With Evolution Gone Wrong， the author Alexander Bezzerides was able to touch upon numerous areas of human evolution and how it currently affects our everyday lives in a way that provided plenty of information without overwhelming the reader。 A great book with the perfect amount of humour for anyone looking for a beginner understanding of certain aspects of human evolution that humans deal with regularly。 。。。more
Steve
，