The process of animal domestication

The first modern scholarly synthesis of animal domesticationAcross the globe and at different times in the past millennia, the evolutionary history of domesticated animals has been greatly affected by the myriad, complex, and diverse interactions humans have had with the animals closest to them. ...

The quotable darwin

A treasure trove of illuminating and entertaining quotations from the legendary naturalistHere is Charles Darwin in his own words—the naturalist, traveler, scientific thinker, and controversial author of On the Origin of Species, the book that shook the Victorian world. Featuring hundreds of quot...

The real planet of the apes

The astonishing new story of human originsWas Darwin wrong when he traced our origins to Africa? The Real Planet of the Apes makes the explosive claim that it was in Europe, not Africa, where apes evolved the most important hallmarks of our human lineage. In this compelling and accessible book, D...

The rooster's wife

New prose poems by an American master, surrealist comic genius, magician of metaphor and imagination.

The secret of our success

How our collective intelligence has helped us to evolve and prosperHumans are a puzzling species. On the one hand, we struggle to survive on our own in the wild, often failing to overcome even basic challenges, like obtaining food, building shelters, or avoiding predators. On the other hand, huma...

The serengeti rules

Now the subject of an Emmy Award–winning film the New York Times calls "spellbinding"How does life work? How does nature produce the right numbers of zebras and lions on the African savanna, or fish in the ocean? How do our bodies produce the right numbers of cells in our organs and bloodstream? ...

The sleepless ape

How the unique sleep habits of early humans fostered survival, innovation, and social evolution—and how this evolutionary legacy holds insights into how we sleep todayDespite sleep’s critical role in maintaining health and cognitive function, humans sleep less than any other primate. The Sleeples...

The slow moon climbs

A surprising look at the role of menopause in human history—and why we should change the ways we think about itAre the ways we look at menopause all wrong? Susan Mattern says yes and, in The Slow Moon Climbs, reveals just how wrong we have been. From the rainforests of Paraguay to the streets of ...

The story of evolution in 25 discoveries

Donald R. Prothero explores the most fascinating breakthroughs in piecing together the evidence for evolution. In twenty-five vignettes, he recounts the dramatic stories of the people who made crucial discoveries, placing each moment in the context of what it represented for the progress of science.

The story of life in 25 fossils

Every fossil tells a story. Best-selling paleontology author Donald R. Prothero describes twenty-five famous fossils in a gripping scientific history. Recounting the adventures behind the discovery of these objects and interpreting their significance within the larger fossil record, Prothero crea...

The story of the dinosaurs in 25 discoveries

In The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries, Donald R. Prothero tells the fascinating stories behind the most important fossil finds and the intrepid researchers who unearthed them. He weaves together the dramatic tales of dinosaur discoveries with what modern science now knows about the spec...

The story of the earth in 25 rocks

Every rock is a tangible trace of the earth’s past. This book tells the fascinating stories behind the discoveries that shook the foundations of geology. In twenty-five chapters—each about a particular rock, outcrop, or geologic phenomenon—Donald R. Prothero recounts the scientific detective work...

The symbiotic habit

Throughout the natural world, organisms have responded to predators, inadequate resources, or inclement conditions by forming ongoing mutually beneficial partnerships--or symbioses--with different species. Symbiosis is the foundation for major evolutionary events, such as the emergence of eukaryo...

The theory that changed everything

The renowned cognitive scientist Philip Lieberman demonstrates that there is no better guide to the world’s living—and still evolving—things than Darwin and that the phenomena he observed are still being explored at the frontiers of science. Lieberman relates the insights that led to groundbreaki...

Theatre and evolution from ibsen to beckett

Reveals the deep, transformative entanglement among science, art, and culture in modern times

Three big bangs

By dividing the creation of matter, energy, life, and mind into three big bangs, Holmes Rolston III brings into focus a history of the universe that respects both scientific discovery and the potential presence of an underlying intelligence. Matter-energy appears, initially in simpler forms but w...

Tracing the history of eukaryotic cells

Why sex matters

Why are men, like other primate males, usually the aggressors and risk takers? Why do women typically have fewer sexual partners? In Why Sex Matters, Bobbi Low ranges from ancient Rome to modern America, from the Amazon to the Arctic, and from single-celled organisms to international politics, to...

Why size matters

John Tyler Bonner, one of our most distinguished and creative biologists, here offers a completely new perspective on the role of size in biology. In his hallmark friendly style, he explores the universal impact of being the right size. By examining stories ranging from Alice in Wonderland to Gul...