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The Social Conquest of Earth
- Narrated by: Jonathan Hogan
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
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Publisher's summary
Edward O. Wilson is one of the world’s preeminent biologists, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and the author of more than 25 books. The defining work in a remarkable career, The Social Conquest of Earth boldly addresses age-old questions (Where did we come from? What are we? Where are we going?) while delving into the biological sources of morality, religion, and the creative arts.
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A Pocket History of Human Evolution brings us up-to-date on the exploits of all our ancient relatives. Paleoanthropologist Silvana Condemi and science journalist François Savatier consider what accelerated our evolution: Was it tools, our "large" brains, language, empathy, or something else entirely? And why are we the sole survivors among many early bipedal humans? Their conclusions reveal the various ways ancient humans live on today - from gossip as modern "grooming" to our gendered division of labor - and what the future might hold for our strange and unique species.
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Well presented and very informative.
- By Jim Griggs on 11-11-21
By: Silvana Condemi, and others
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Why Evolution Is True
- By: Jerry A. Coyne
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Why evolution is more than just a theory: it is a fact. In all the current highly publicized debates about creationism and its descendant "intelligent design", there is an element of the controversy that is rarely mentioned: the evidence, the empirical truth of evolution by natural selection.
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As great as everyone says it is
- By Joseph on 12-01-10
By: Jerry A. Coyne
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Letters to a Young Scientist
- By: Edward O. Wilxon
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
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Edward O. Wilson has distilled sixty years of teaching into a book for students, young and old. Reflecting on his coming-of-age in the South as a Boy Scout and a lover of ants and butterflies, Wilson threads these twenty-one letters, each richly illustrated, with autobiographical anecdotes that illuminate his career - both his successes and his failures - and his motivations for becoming a biologist.
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Long on biography, short on advice
- By A. Mandelin on 08-02-18
By: Edward O. Wilxon
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Evolution
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- By: Edward J. Larson
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
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Edward J. Larson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and eminent science historian. This marvelously readable, yet sumptuously erudite work traces the development of the scientific theory of evolution. From Darwin's essential trip to the Galápagos, to the most contemporary studies in sociobiology, this work takes listeners both into the field and laboratories of the world's greatest evolutionary scientists, and shows how the theory of evolution has itself evolved.
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An Excellent History!
- By Bradly D. Elder on 08-13-07
By: Edward J. Larson
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How to Build a Dinosaur
- Extinction Doesn't Have to Be Forever
- By: Jack Horner, James Gorman
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In movies, in novels, in comic strips, and on television, we've all seen dinosaurs - or at least somebody's educated guess of what they would look like. But what if it were possible to build, or grow, a real dinosaur without finding ancient DNA? Jack Horner, the scientist who advised Steven Spielberg on the blockbuster film Jurassic Park and a pioneer in bringing paleontology into the 21st century, teams up with the editor of the New York Times's Science Times section to reveal exactly what's in store.
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Good book but misplaced title
- By Robert on 06-19-15
By: Jack Horner, and others
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Evolutionary Psychology
- An Audio Guide
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- Narrated by: Miranda Nation
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Evolutionary Psychology is a uniquely accessible yet comprehensive guide to the study of the effects of evolutionary theory on human behaviour. Written specifically for the general listener and for entry-level students, it covers all the most important elements of this interdisciplinary subject, from the role of evolution in our selection of partner, to the influence of genetics on parenting. This audiobook draws widely on examples, case studies and background facts to convey a substantial amount of information.
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Themeltingpotblogpost
- By Anonymous User on 10-14-17
By: Robin Dunbar, and others
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Paleontology
- A Brief History of Life
- By: Ian Tattersall
- Narrated by: Brett Barry
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
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Ian Tattersall, a highly esteemed figure in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, and paleontology, leads a fascinating tour of the history of life and the evolution of human beings. Starting at the very beginning, Tattersall examines patterns of change in the biosphere over time, and the correlations of biological events with physical changes in the Earth's environment.
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great summary of where we are with understanding
- By david on 06-25-11
By: Ian Tattersall
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How Language Began
- The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention
- By: Daniel L. Everett
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
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Mankind has a distinct advantage over other terrestrial species: we talk to one another. But how did we acquire the most advanced form of communication on Earth? Daniel L. Everett, a "bombshell" linguist and "instant folk hero" (Tom Wolfe, Harper's), provides in this sweeping history a comprehensive examination of the evolutionary story of language, from the earliest speaking attempts by hominids to the more than 7,000 languages that exist today.
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Hard to endure
- By Michael D. Busch on 09-09-18
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The Ancestor's Tale
- A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
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In The Ancestor's Tale, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins offers a masterwork: an exhilarating reverse tour through evolution, from present-day humans back to the microbial beginnings of life four billion years ago. Throughout the journey, Dawkins spins entertaining, insightful stories and sheds light on topics such as speciation, sexual selection, and extinction. The Ancestor's Tale is at once an essential education in evolutionary theory and riveting in its telling.
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Please do an unabridged version!
- By MovieExpertise on 09-29-16
By: Richard Dawkins
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a life changer
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What listeners say about The Social Conquest of Earth
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- Robert
- 04-26-12
mixed bag
Drags in places,but the chapter on religion and the concluding chapter make this book well worth a credit. People of religion will find Wilson's thoughts difficult to swallow. If the book does nothing else, it will make you think.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Douglas
- 06-10-13
Definitely a primer...
in neo-Darwinean thought that does not add anything too much at all to the more intellectual, and certainly more engaging works of Dawkins, Dennett, Pinker and Wright. While this is not a bad book at all and certainly has its good moments, I would decidedly recommend a book by the authors above over this, as it is very basic in its information and approach.
I almost never say anything about narrators, because, if the book is engaging, I usually don't register the voice of the reader too much, but the narrator of this book has the mildly annoying sound of Tom Brokaw after a Valium.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-03-17
elsewhere
makers and takers rana foroohar tb
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1491 charles mann pl
1493 charles mann pl
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coming apart charles murray pl
world undone pl
in defense of food michael pollan pl
botany of desire michael pollan pl
elon musk ashlee vance acpl
hillbilly elegy vance pl
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- Gate
- 09-05-17
Outstanding!!!!
This is a must read for anyone seeking their place in the world and for those whom have contemplated our current social inequities, how they began and where we're headed.
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- Frederick C. Caruso
- 07-04-15
A new level of understanding evolution
A challenging book that greatly expanded my knowledge and understanding of evolution. Well worth the read if only to look into the lives of ants and bees. And then human genetics of social behavior and variations from the same gene. It was great and deserves a second listen.
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- Sean
- 03-26-13
A delightful dose of rational optimism
If you're even considering EO Wilson, you most likely have some acquaintance with the man and/or his ideas. As a renowned evolutionary biologist and world expert on hymenoptera (ants in particular), he's made his mark on our understanding of the lessons to be learned from eusociality in the insect world and on the evolutionary underpinnings of our own social lives. This book continues that exploration in a thoughtful, engaging, & accessible way. While the lengthy examinations of eusociality in the insect world may not appeal to everyone, the overall thesis--that our lives as social beings are the result of group selection (rather than the largely discredited kinship theory) and the tension between individual and group interest--is captivating, and is sure to appeal to anyone with a scientific bent.
What this volume includes that others of his have not is Wilson's deeply personal meditations on what a truly rational and scientific understanding of our social life implies, both in terms of its ability to promote a deeper grasp of the human condition & its potential meaning for the future of humanity.
It's astonishing to think of a man his age writing a book so full of the wonder of exploration and discovery. The ideas & their implications will linger with you long after the final chapter...
Great stuff!
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- Susan
- 08-15-13
Excellent theory changing book.....time will tell.
If you could sum up The Social Conquest of Earth in three words, what would they be?
A new explanation
What other book might you compare The Social Conquest of Earth to and why?
The Red Queen, The Third Chimpanzee, and The Moral Animal. A book of the same type and nature but a totally different explanation and if hods up making large parts of those books obsolete.
Any additional comments?
Professor Wilson makes a cogent argument for looking at our evolution in a different way. His argument that we are eusocial animals (like ants and bees) at first seems hard to swallow but by the end of the book, it all makes sense. The argument for multilevel evolution, if it holds up, will replace the theories of kin selection and reciprocal altruism. Clearly this a big change and this theory has its detractors.
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- Nick
- 09-15-15
Perspective altering
An important and wise book. Terrific scientific and historic context. Brings the profound arrogance of our species into stark relief.
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- David L. Benston
- 06-25-24
Well of course it's good.
E.O. is one of the finest biology writers of two centuries, and this is no exception. Even Dawkins has to work harder to talk smack about him. The narrator actually sounds a lot like a younger Wilson, so that was pretty cool too.
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- MB
- 05-31-12
Superb performance
What made the experience of listening to The Social Conquest of Earth the most enjoyable?
Just wanted to comment on the reader. Even though I thought the reading of the text was a bit annoying at the beginning, I have come to love the way the book is read. Excellent performance.
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7 people found this helpful