The Real Planet of the Apes: A New Story of Human Origins

Begun, professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto, asks two large questions in this thought-provoking book: How did the planet go “from dozens of ape species at any one time, hundreds in all over the millennia, to just a few today”? And what are the characteristics of the common ancestor that chimpanzees and humans shared with one another approximately seven million years ago? Along the way to finding answers, Begun explains the reasoning and data that scientists use to discern evolutionary relationships among long-extinct species, describes the excitement that comes from making a new discovery, and demonstrates how interpretive differences between scientists can be productive and nonconfrontational. The book also contains a wealth of information about the comparative anatomy of humans and other apes. Begun’s overarching goal is to promote his hypothesis that the ancestor of the African apes and humans may actually have evolved in Europe instead of Africa. He builds a strong case for this not-yet-mainstream idea while making it abundantly clear that he is open to data that would prove him wrong. Begun’s passion is evident in both his writing and his science, but the important details of his work are likely to be overwhelming to all but the most dedicated students of anthropology. [em](Nov.) [/em]