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susanj13's review against another edition
4.0
Most recommended
Thoroughly enjoyable and very pertinent read on the evolution and development of humans and a number of other species that have always been closely related to us! Excellently researched and leaves you with plenty to think over.
Thoroughly enjoyable and very pertinent read on the evolution and development of humans and a number of other species that have always been closely related to us! Excellently researched and leaves you with plenty to think over.
d6y's review against another edition
3.0
Archaeology, biology, genetics, and climate clues brought together to tell the story of domestication.
Caution: To love this book you have to get into the back-and-forth debate about the dates of domestication, and single vs multiple origins. It turns out I'm not that interested in that. The first two chapters (dogs, wheat) in particular put me right off this book.
But the storytelling grew on me. Yes, there's lots of informed speculation, and the specifics of any story are going to be just reckoning ("surely...", "I'd imagine..."), but you get a feel for how domestication might have come about. It's fascinating stuff. In contrast to the first two chapters, the chapters on horses and apples were engrossing for me.
Common themes emerge over the chapters, and it all comes together in the last chapter (trying to avoid spoilers: the discussion of self-domestication of humans was eye-opening for me).
Caution: To love this book you have to get into the back-and-forth debate about the dates of domestication, and single vs multiple origins. It turns out I'm not that interested in that. The first two chapters (dogs, wheat) in particular put me right off this book.
But the storytelling grew on me. Yes, there's lots of informed speculation, and the specifics of any story are going to be just reckoning ("surely...", "I'd imagine..."), but you get a feel for how domestication might have come about. It's fascinating stuff. In contrast to the first two chapters, the chapters on horses and apples were engrossing for me.
Common themes emerge over the chapters, and it all comes together in the last chapter (trying to avoid spoilers: the discussion of self-domestication of humans was eye-opening for me).
fivemack's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful way to think about the world
This is a beautiful book, encapsulating the second generation of genetic studies of domestic plants and animals which has always added an ‘it’s more complicated than that’ to the neat conclusions of the first genetic work. Full of wonderful facts - did you know the Braeburn Apple was created in 1952? Absolutely fascinating popular science, not shying away from detail.
This is a beautiful book, encapsulating the second generation of genetic studies of domestic plants and animals which has always added an ‘it’s more complicated than that’ to the neat conclusions of the first genetic work. Full of wonderful facts - did you know the Braeburn Apple was created in 1952? Absolutely fascinating popular science, not shying away from detail.