The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being: Evolution and the Making of Us

(Paperback)

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'From your brain to your fingertips, you emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper understanding of yourself' Richard Dawkins

'A masterful account of why our bodies are the way they are . . . this book really shines . . . Roberts's lightness of touch is joyous, and celebratory' Observer

'Witty, personal and above all informed by passion and deep knowledge, this is the story of you, not just from conception onwards but from the millions of years of evolution that have shaped the way we are today' Adam Rutherford

***SHORTLISTED FOR THE WELLCOME BOOK PRIZE***

Alice Roberts takes you on the most incredible journey, revealing your path from a single cell to a complex embryo to a living, breathing, thinking person. It's a story that connects us with our distant ancestors and an extraordinary, unlikely chain of events that shaped human development and left a mark on all of us. Alice Roberts uses the latest research to uncover the evolutionary history hidden in all of us, from the secrets found only in our embryos and genes - including why as embroyos we have what look like gills - to those visible in your anatomy. This is a tale of discovery, exploring why and how we have developed as we have. This is your story, told as never before.

Reviews

'Alice Roberts's engagingly personal style connects you to your ancestors, to your own

beginnings as a single cell . . . You emerge from her book entertained and with a deeper

understanding of yourself' - Richard Dawkins

'Her guided tour of the human body takes us on a fascinating journey of self-discovery' - Desmond Morris

'Witty, personal and above all informed by passion and deep knowledge' - Adam Rutherford

Author Bio

Alice Roberts is an anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, anthropologist, television presenter, author and professor at the University of Birmingham. She has presented The Incredible Human Journey and Coast on BBC 2 and Inside Science on Radio 4. She lives in Bristol with her husband and two children.