{"product_id":"fossil-men-the-quest-for-the-oldest-skeleton-and-the-origins-of-humankind-isbn-9780062410283","title":"Fossil Men: The Quest for the Oldest Skeleton and the Origins of Humankind","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Riveting. ... Pattison's uncanny ability [is] to write evocatively about science. ... In this, he is every bit as good as the best scientist writers.\" \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—\u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Brilliant. ... A work of staggering depth.\" —\u003cem\u003eMinneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA decade in the making, \u003cem\u003eFossil Men\u003c\/em\u003e is a scientific detective story played out in anatomy and the natural history of the human body: the first full-length account of the discovery of a startlingly unpredicted human ancestor more than a million years older than Lucy\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is the ultimate mystery: where do we come\u003cbr\u003efrom? In 1994, a team led by fossil-hunting legend Tim White uncovered a set of\u003cbr\u003eancient bones in Ethiopia’s Afar region. Radiometric dating of nearby rocks indicated the\u003cbr\u003eresulting skeleton, classified as \u003cem\u003eArdipithecus ramidus\u003c\/em\u003e—nicknamed\u003cbr\u003e“Ardi”—was an astounding 4.4 million years old, more than a million years older\u003cbr\u003ethan the world-famous “Lucy.” The team spent the next 15 years studying the\u003cbr\u003ebones in strict secrecy, all while continuing to rack up landmark fossil\u003cbr\u003ediscoveries in the field and becoming increasingly ensnared in bitter disputes\u003cbr\u003ewith scientific peers and Ethiopian bureaucrats. When finally revealed to the\u003cbr\u003epublic, Ardi stunned scientists around the world and challenged a half-century\u003cbr\u003eof orthodoxy about human evolution—how we started walking upright, how we\u003cbr\u003eevolved our nimble hands, and, most significantly, whether we were descended\u003cbr\u003efrom an ancestor that resembled today’s chimpanzee. But the discovery of Ardi wasn’t just a leap forward in\u003cbr\u003eunderstanding the roots of humanity--it was an attack on scientific convention\u003cbr\u003eand the leading authorities of human origins, triggering an epic feud about the\u003cbr\u003eoldest family skeleton.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eFossil Men, \u003c\/em\u003eacclaimed journalist Kermit Pattison brings us\u003cbr\u003ea cast of eccentric, obsessive scientists, including White, an uncompromising\u003cbr\u003eperfectionist whose virtuoso skills in the field were matched only by his\u003cbr\u003epropensity for making enemies; Gen Suwa, a Japanese savant whose deep expertise\u003cbr\u003eabout teeth rivaled anyone on\u003cbr\u003eEarth; Owen Lovejoy, a onetime creationist-turned-paleoanthropologist with\u003cbr\u003eradical insights into human locomotion; Berhane Asfaw, who survived\u003cbr\u003eimprisonment and torture to become Ethiopia’s most senior paleoanthropologist; Don Johanson,\u003cbr\u003ethe discoverer of Lucy, who had a rancorous falling out with the Ardi team; and\u003cbr\u003ethe Leakeys, for decades the most famous family in paleoanthropology. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on a half-decade of research in Africa,\u003cbr\u003eEurope and North America, \u003cem\u003eFossil Men\u003c\/em\u003e is not only a brilliant investigation into the\u003cbr\u003eorigins of the human lineage, but the oldest of human emotions: curiosity,\u003cbr\u003ejealousy, perseverance and wonder. \u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"Entertaining. ... Satisfying. ... Gripping. ... Big personalities, simmering turmoil, and fascinating popular science.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Compelling science. ... Perfect for \u003cem\u003eNational Geographic\u003c\/em\u003e readers who want to dig deep into the human evolutionary tree.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Equal parts biography and adventure novel, Pattison illustrates the colorful characters — flaws and all — whose research has shaped our origin story as we know it today.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDiscover magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] lively debut. … Pattison ably combines the adventure yarn with scientific minutiae. … Those interested in human origins should check out this vivid and thorough study.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Fascinating. ... Exciting.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTwin Cities Pioneer Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Any science-minded person... will truly enjoy \u003cem\u003eFossil Men\u003c\/em\u003e.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDanville Commercial-News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Perceptive and revealing. ... Pattison has a commendable and enviable grasp of a wide range of difficult methods and concepts, and he does a fine job of presenting and explaining the many scientific developments that have enriched the way we interpret the hominin fossil record.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJournal of Human Evolution\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Reads like an Indiana Jones sequel. ...This is a book about the ongoing quest to find us—and what human nature is at its core.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePolitico\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Brilliant. ... A work of staggering depth. ... Pattison deftly weaves strands of science, sociology and political science into a compelling tale that stretches over decades. ... His prose is lively and accessible. ... An ambitious work that fully justifies the extraordinary effort that went into it, both by the fossil men and by the writer who chronicled their work.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMinneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A riveting story of academic, political, and personal intrigue.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristian Science Monitor (Best Books of November 2020 Roundup)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Blends science and drama to tell the story of a major paleoanthropology find. ... For anyone interested in fossil hunting, evolutionary science and a hominid skeleton like no other, this book delivers.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eScience News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Pattison weaves the multiple intrigues of science, politics, and personalities into a masterly structured tale…. Leaves readers with a new sense of wonder at the origins of humankind.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChristian Science Monitor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[A] riveting account. ... In places, \u003cem\u003eFossil Men \u003c\/em\u003eseems more reality television show than a work of popular science, as we follow an outrageous cast. ... The story lines border on the insane: There are civil wars, gunfights, at least one grenade rolling around the feet of scientists as they drive into the desert. ...  Pattison... is every bit as good as the best scientist-writers. He describes the intricacies of the human wrist and foot with the skill of a poet... [and] explains in clear and compelling prose how scientists build family trees of ancient species.\"     - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An exciting book, full of colorful personalities, momentous discoveries, and new ideas that challenge us to reconsider everything we believed about the evolution of humankind.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A dazzling journey into deep geological time. ... Pattinson combines his meticulously researched examination of the science of ancient humans with a visceral and penetrating tale of... intrigue, academic rivalry, pathological jealousy and intellectual inertia. He uses his first-hand experience of being on site in Ethiopia to detail the art, science, joys and challenges of fossil-hunting. ... Fascinating. ... Unexpected and revelatory.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Spectator (London)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eFossil Men\u003c\/em\u003e is a wonderful mix of history, science and politics, full of pathos and insight in equal measure. I found it difficult to put down, and I didn’t want it to end....This book should be required reading for all those who care about how science may help answer the question of who we are as humans. A monumental achievement!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHASOK CHANG, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e“At the core of Kermit Pattison’s rip-roaring tale is the prickly, obsessive, brilliant American paleonaut, Tim White, who braves revolutions, tribal warfare, and bitter scientific rivals to unearth ancient bones, without which there would be no pre-history, no civilization, no humanity.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePETER NICHOLS, New York Times bestselling author of The Rocks and Evolution's Captain\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"William Morrow","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889248891109,"sku":"NP9780062410283","price":32.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062410283.jpg?v=1730230840","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/fossil-men-the-quest-for-the-oldest-skeleton-and-the-origins-of-humankind-isbn-9780062410283","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}