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Scott Solomon

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Future Humans: Inside the Science of Our Continuing Evolution Kindle Edition

by Scott Solomon (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 57 ratings

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An evolutionary biologist provides surprising insights into the changing nature of Homo sapiens in this “important and an entertaining read" (Choice).

In Future Humans, evolutionary biologist Scott Solomon draws on recent discoveries to examine the future evolution of our species. Combining knowledge of our past with current trends, Solomon offers convincing evidence that evolutionary forces are still affecting us today. But how will modernization—including longer lifespans, changing diets, global travel, and widespread use of medicine and contraceptives—affect our evolutionary future?

Solomon presents an entertaining and accessible review of the latest research on human evolution in modern times, drawing on fields from genomics to medicine and the study of our microbiome. Drawing together topics ranging from the rise of online dating and Cesarean sections to the spread of diseases such as HIV and Ebola, Solomon suggests that we are entering a new phase in human evolutionary history—one that makes the future less predictable and more interesting than ever before.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is a fascinating excursion through natural selection in our own time, and what it may mean for the future." ---Carl Zimmer, author of Parasite Rex

About the Author

Donald Corren is a New York actor whose credits include leading roles on and Off-Broadway, as well as numerous television appearances. He played the role of forensic tech Medill on NBC's Law & Order for eight seasons, and currently appears as Dr. Kurian on Syfy's Z Nation.

Scott Solomon is an evolutionary biologist and science writer. He teaches ecology, evolutionary biology, and scientific communication at Rice University, where he is a Professor in the Practice in the Department of BioSciences. He lives in Houston, Texas.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01M0YEGNV
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press (October 25, 2016)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 25, 2016
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3344 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 234 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #913,030 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #132 in Mars
- #683 in Biology (Kindle Store)
- #753 in Evolution (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 57 ratings

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Scott Solomon

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Scott Solomon is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of BioSciences at Rice University. He has a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Texas at Austin where his research examined the evolutionary basis of biological diversity in the Amazon Basin. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC and the State University of São Paulo in Rio Claro, Brazil before joining the faculty at Rice University, where he teaches courses in introductory biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, tropical field biology, and scientific communication. In addition to his research on the biology of ants, he speaks and writes about science for the general public. He lives in Houston, Texas with his wife and three children.

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4.1 out of 5

57 global ratings

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David C. Robine

Easy to read overview of human evolution

Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2022

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This was a very pleasing to read book, in the sense that it reads easily and is understandable to a layman. It was disturbing at times, like, for example, the discussion of our attempts to eradicate harmful bacteria like helicobacter pylosi just as the realization is dawning on science that even harmful bacteria may have beneficial or even essential positive aspects to our health. But, it was easy to follow, with little I had to look up to understand in order to follow the gist of the authors argument. If I did understand the underlying sciences of genetics and microbiology better, I would have probably gotten more out of it, but still, it was a valuable and enjoyable reading experience.

3 people found this helpful

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Benjamin F Pascoe

Get past the first chapter and it gets good.

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2019

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One you get past the first chapter its a really interesting book looking at the current state of evolutionary research. Fascinating

One person found this helpful

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NIK

Well cited and easy to read!

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2021

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I am hugely interested in evolutionary genetics, plus the psychodynamics that contribute to evolution on micro- and macro-levels. I am flying through this easy to comprehend book, finding the authors well-researched case studies fascinating. Interestingly, I found this book when I needed a quote about how females select mates who may inadvertently contribute to sexism or gender issues. When I read the title of the book after citation, I immediately knew I had to read the whole thing due to my interest in genetics. I am about 3/4 of the way through and cannot give this book enough praise! As the research of evolutionary genetics, pertaining to future humans, seems to be quite sparse, I highly recommend this to all readers interested in this particular topic.

4 people found this helpful

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David Ip

worth the read, but one can buy used..

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2017

not a bad book to read..but neither has anything new..Microbiome (Blaser), Evolutionary process (Jared Diamond)...DNA mutations etc...are mentioned from other expertises as well..it is a good book for beginners to learn about ourselves...interesting questions that the author has raised: where are we heading? mutation? planetary colonization>>mutations? volcanic disruptions and meteors that kill off humans?

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roy

Future Humans is a good read for anyone wanting a concise introduction to human evolution.

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2016

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I thoroughly enjoyed Future Humans. It's science, well annotated and attributed, yet it's not so academic to be out of reach. The author freely introduces terms you won't use in daily life (unless maybe you are an evolutionary biologist) but I never felt bog down or turned off by terminology. I learned a lot about how DNA really works and especially found interesting the sections on bacteria and diseases. And, this is not a tome; I was able to read it in a few sittings.

3 people found this helpful

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Matt M

Fascinating and a surprisingly easy read given the complex subject matter

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2016

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Very well written book that is approachable to non-scientists even as it discusses such complex topics as evolutionary biology and paleoanthropology. The author raises very interesting points about the potential for evolutionary change as a result of modern technology varying from C sections and IVF to the rise of online dating. As genome mapping and analysis continue to progress, it should provide for further topics that I hope Mr. Solomon will explore in future books. Recommended for non-scientists and scientists alike.

5 people found this helpful

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M. W. Moffett

A compulsive good read

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2019

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Want to know where human beings might be going next--whether our bodies and minds could continue to evolve, and change? From chapter to chapter Solomon keeps his arguments entertaining, and the science, strong.

One person found this helpful

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Private Tutor

Not About Future Humans

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2017

This book is not about future humans, except for perhaps the last chapter which references a much better book which is also not about future humans. I didn't expect much, but ~20% of the last chapter is a little low even for low expectations.

This book is much more like a magazine-level summary of past human-evolutionary phenomena. So, if you wanted to introduce an average high-school student to that subject, it could be good. The writing was smooth and polished, just barely relevant to the stated topic.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

Very well researched & exceptionally well written

Reviewed in Canada on April 24, 2020

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I enjoyed the author's comprehensive look at the various factors that have affected human evolution in more recent evolutionary history but I especially appreciated his attention to the human microbiome, something not covered in my earlier research. Solomon talks about the surprising lack of genetic diversity in our globe-trotting species but I was taken aback to learn that the microbiome of urban dwellers also lacks diversity, say in comparison to our modern day hunter gatherers. We don't know enough about the role of these microbes in our gut, but he reviews the research being done on it. For me, the take away is that if our population lacks genetic diversity and even our microbiome - we are ripe for a global pandemic. The author addresses the potential future threats to our species from asteroid to super volcanic eruption to nuclear warfare but he also talks about the necessity of keeping ahead of the threat of viruses and other infectious diseases. Well worth the read.

One person found this helpful

Andrew B.

Light on content

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 20, 2021

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Well written but unfortunately quite light on content. I read the whole thing in a couple of sittings. The author points out that there isn't a lot of research on the topic, so this is perhaps the explanation. But I would have appreciated some more analysis and speculation from the author, rather than the heavily summarized findings of a handful of studies spaced out with stories from the author's life.

One person found this helpful

Cliente de Amazon

Great book

Reviewed in Mexico on September 13, 2018

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A very interesting book about several factors that have influenced our evolution.