With majestic sweep and subtle wit, British science
writer Tudge brings an astonishing perspective to the story of humanity
by telescoping three intertwined dramas: the past 40,000 years, in which
Homo sapiens truly got into its stride, set against the
five-million-year history of hominids, set against the 3.5 billion years
of life preceding the hominids' arrival. Tudge views primates (lemurs,
monkeys, apes, humans) as a "fifth column," creeping up on other
creatures over an 80-million-year period, rarely dominating but
ultimately producing a lineage that evolved into us. He favors the
multi-migration model of the "Out of Africa" hypothesis, which holds
that Homo ergaster, not Homo erectus, evolved to produce modern Homo
sapiens. Drawing on the latest research, he discusses the five mass
extinctions that interrupted life on Earth; the drift of continents; the
Tibetan plateau as the planet's principal cooling mechanism; the growth
of our "all-purpose" brain and its invention of language. Tudge
concludes by scanning the next million years, with emphasis on devising
sustainable economies, conserving species and feeding the world's
population. His eloquent, immensely rewarding synthesis fosters a new
appreciation of the interdependence of our fragile biosphere. BOMC, QPB,
History Book Club and Library of Science alternates.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.