Close Encounters with Humankind

A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species

By: Sang-Hee Lee, Shin-Young Yoon

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

What can fossilized teeth tell us about our ancient life expectancy? What can big data on fossils reveal about farming's problematic role in human evolution? How can simple geometric comparisons of skull and pelvic fossils suggest an origin to our social nature?

In Close Encounters with Humankind, paleoanthropologist Sang-Hee Lee explores some of our biggest evolutionary questions from unexpected new angles. Through a series of entertaining, bite-sized chapters, we gain new perspectives into our first hominin ancestors, our first steps on two feet, our first forays into toolmaking and hunting, and of course our continuing evolution.

©2015 Sang-Hee Lee and Shin-Young Yoon (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

A different perspective of human ancestry

I was looking for a different perspective of human ancestry and I found it. However, I was also looking for up to date information. While this book was published in 2018 the book is a collection of essays that were previously published.

The book also supports a multi-regionalist model for modern humans, but without any attempt to fit this theory with recent genomic data. In the book the authors appeared to be less comfortable with genomic data, but this could just reflect their paleoanthropologist perspective.

Hard topic, simple presentation

Hard topic presented simply. Verry intresting and for once I didnt want the book to end.
Verry well read.

dumbed down paleoanthropology

I am not a scientist at all, let alone an anthropologist or paleo-anthropologist. This book contained a lot of dumb statements that seemed geared to pander to woke college professors, administrators, and students, at the expense of honest science. Parts were interesting, but my enjoyment of the book was marred by the cringe-inducing wokeness and political correctness. Just dumb.