Adaptable

The Surprising Science of Human Diversity

Author: Herman Pontzer

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Description

A groundbreaking tour of the overlooked science of human diversityReal diversity isn't skin deep. Over the past 100,000 years, as humans expanded into every biome on the planet, our bodies and our cultures have been fine-tuned to our local environments. Our ability to adapt is at the heart of being human and the engine of our diversity.As an evolutionary anthropologist working with human populations around the globe, Herman Pontzer has conducted research that reveals the wonder of our biological diversity, documenting the connections between lifestyle, landscape, local adaptations and health. In this book, he takes us on a tour of the human body and the surprising ways in which it survives in an uncertain world- from the Andean groups who have developed increased lung capacity to the Sama divers who have larger spleens.With so much variation that can be handed down genetically, for better or worse, the way we understand our biology and its interplay with our cultural environments holds huge importance for how we understand our world and one another, including the biggest questions of our day, such as the health impact of social inequality. Eye-opening and profound, Adaptable is a revolutionary reappraisal of an overlooked science.

Critic Reviews

Ambitious, controversial, there's a line of humour running through it too . . . every “miraculous protein robot”, as Pontzer calls us, should read the book . . . I learned a lot and greatly enjoyed the tour -- Michael Le Page New Scientist
An engrossing, richly informative exploration of human biological diversity . . . it challenges us to rethink universal health benchmarks -- Manvir Singh New Yorker
Adaptable is ambitious, wide-ranging, and fun to read. Pontzer has a gift for explaining complicated and nuanced topics in fresh ways, and he tackles all the big questions about how our bodies work with a delicate—and entertaining—touch -- Alex Hutchinson, author of Endure
Pontzer has written a dazzling guide to the human body, in all its weird and wonderful glory. This is the fascinating story of how our bodies—products of evolutionary history and genes, environment and culture—work and why they differ. Brimming with wit and wisdom, Adaptable is essential reading for anyone interested in how we humans came to be the way we are -- Kate Wong, senior editor at Scientific American
Adaptable is the book I've been waiting for. It answers questions that nag us today about the human condition and describes how we got here. It’s an engaging and down-to earth read that bristles with up-to-date and thoughtfully provocative scholarship -- Nina G. Jablonski, author of It's Just Skin, Silly!

About the Author

Herman Pontzer is a professor of evolutionary anthropology and global health at Duke University. He is an internationally recognized researcher in human energetics and evolution. He is the author of Burn.