Genealogy Books - The First Human: The Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors

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Summary: Fascinating read!
Comment: As a student of paleoanthropology, I was slightly wary of reading another popular account of fossil
hunting in Africa. After finishing "The First Human," however, I can say with certainty that not
only did Ann Gibbons do her homework, but that she was able to deftly weave together both the
science and the politics in one of the most fascinating narratives I've read in some time. One
really begins to understand both the hardship of paleoanthropological fieldwork and the thrill of
discovery. But that of course is only the beginning. Her descriptions of the ensuing scientific
cross-fire, often tainted by personal and political conflict, are clear and engaging. All in all, a
well-written and up-to-date chronicle of the science of human origins.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Makes You Want to Watch for Anything Else She Writes
Comment: As best I can tell this is Ann Gibbons first book. And it makes you want to keep an eye out for
anything else she publishes.

Nominally this book is a report on the search for our
first ancestors. But in reality it is a book on the people doing the searching. Big time science, be
it physics or medicine or, as in this case, paleontologists the struggle is only partially one of
finding the answer to the problem. The real problems are in getting funded, then when you discover
something, going to war against your fellow scientists whole will be attacking your results because
if you get more funding, more support, more prizes they will suffer, or at least they think they
will.

Ms Gibbons primarily follows four teams who are looking for evidence about our
earliest ancestors. Our ancestors didn't conveniently die in nice places that you'd want to visit.
Having to go where the fossils are. And in the case of human ancestors, that means Africa. And not
the nicest places in Africa but dry hot deserts in Ethiopia, Chad and places like that.
/>While I suspect that the discoveries described in this book will be replaced by the next finding
somewhere else, the interplay of the people will remain constant.

Next, Ms. Gibbons,
how about looning into astronomy/cosmology.

Customer Rating:

Summary: The Drama of Paleoanthropology
Comment: Few are neutral on the subject of human origins. Many find the evolution of the human species a
subject that demeans the status of man as a little lower than the angels. Those that accept
evolution find themselves on one side or another of the various controversies caused by the new
discoveries that seem to appear on a very regular basis. It is this latter ferment that Ann Gibbons
describes in her book "The First Human". She has produced an excellent account of the often
contentious search for human origins.

It is certainly unfortunate that so many of the
people involved in the discovery of human fossils have been egotistical and often vicious in their
treatment of anyone they deemed as competitors. The political maneuvering that denied some
researchers permits and the often lurid public attacks on rival researchers left paleoanthropolgy
with a stained reputation and very possibly did some damage to the research itself. One is reminded
of the famous Marsh-Cope feud over dinosaur and other fossil bones. Only medical research may have
had as cut-throat a history as paleontology.

Still, either despite the unpleasant
fights or perhaps because of them, many fossils have been discovered and our understanding of human
evolution has become more solid with time. In fact there are so many fossils (as well as DNA
evidence) connecting humans and our closest relatives that human evolution from the same line as
apes is more established than ever. An African origin for all of the various "races" is also nearly
certain, despite the various multi-origin or Asian origin hypotheses. We are thus all Africans and
we are all also very closely related, despite superficial differences, such as skin color or head
shape.

If you want a very readable history of the discovery of man's ancestors up to
nearly the present, this is a good book to read. Of course it is undoubtedly already out of date in
this fast moving field!

Customer Rating:

Summary: Scholarship and Divaship
Comment: Anyone working in, or remotely interested in, sciences will appreciate this gem.

What
comes across is the hard work, backbreaking work really, in paleoanthropology and the obsessive
obeisance to the discipline exhibited by its eccentric, often flawed, devotees. Some of these
character come off as monuments to ego, but the requisite disciplne in this field probably selects
that type preferably.

The historical view of the science is refreshing, some folks
eagerly accept every fossilized ape as our late aunt Tilly and the book points out this problem and
the consequences of same, as well as the rise of more precise scientific methods used to support the
tedious and painstaking field work.

Highly recommended.

MeanBobMean />http://meanbob.blogspot.com/

Customer Rating:

Summary: "Bones of Contention" [updated] **
Comment: If this book is any indication, palaeoanthropology needs new electives in its curriculum. A course
in "Field Combat Tactics" appears useful, while "The Intricacies of Site Permits" seems almost
essential - perhaps a requirement. Ann Gibbons may not be certified as a combat correspondent, but
she does a fine job of narrating the course anthropology has taken in seeking the "first human" and
the conflicts that have arisen over the findings. What is notable about the strife among the
members of that community is that Roger Lewin seemed to have covered it in "Bones of Contention" in
1987. Things appear to have heated up instead of calming down.

Opening with an
account of French scholar Michel Brunet's work in the desert of Chad, Gibbons explains what's
involved in finding human fossils. Darwin, she reminds us, suggested human origins lay in Africa.
This idea challenged the received wisdom of Asia being the source of humanity. Gibbons' account of
how ideas about human origins became established, challenged and regularly overturned makes gripping
reading. She notes that Don Johanson's "Lucy", a pivotal find in tracing the human lineage, held
primacy for many years. Lucy's age and location seemed indicative, granting her direct ancestry to
modern humans and pinpointing the upper Rift Valley as humanity's starting point. Brunet, among
others, has doubts about this scenario. It was too simple, and simple answers have no place in
human evolution.

From Piltdown to Pithecanthropus, Gibbons clearly depicts the
various ideas, their promoters and their resolution that have occurred during the years. Fossil
hunters have roamed over Africa's wild landscapes seeking clues. They are scattered and rarely
definitive, usually providing only tantalising and incomplete bits of information. Lucy herself was
but 40% complete [if you pair the bones, 20% if you count them against the total], while
Nariokotome Boy had 80% of his skeleton retrieved. Gibbons explains why certain bones have
importance in determining if a fossil indicates it's a hominid, while others provide clues to
environmental conditions when the creature lived. Diet, activity, and other hints can be derived,
but the analytical task is arduous. Almost as difficult as the field retrievals themselves. />
The competition to find the "first human" is sometimes intense. Finding the fossil is
tough enough, with searchers crawling over the ground like penitent supplicants. Getting to the
site is more than simply boarding a 4 X 4 or camel train. Since the searchers are mostly Europeans
or North Americans, the issue of permits to dig arises early. These often require months of
negotiation, sometimes with money changing hands to facilitate the process. Abandoned sites or
lapsed permits may require additional resolution. In at least one case, weapons were in evidence.
What more could shatter the stereotype of the bumbling academic unable to deal with the "real
world"?

The conflicts and contentions are slowly being resolved. "Lucy", once firmly
lodged on the track leading to modern humans, is now on a side track. New finds, some not even
clearly bipedal, let alone proto-human, need corroborating fossils. The recent discoveries have
emerged almost too rapidly to identify or classify them. "Orrorin tugensis", or "Millennium Man" as
he was mis-named for having been unearthed in 2000 C.E., triggered a major media event. The label
"Our Newest Oldest Ancestor" applied to the find implied that there might be more to come. Such was
the case when Michel Brunet's team, working in Chad, far from the Rift Valley, produced "Toumai".
This unexpected fossil has become the actual "newest oldest" clocking in at about 6 - 7 million
years old. As with all palaeoanthropologists, Brunet isn't satisfied with this revolutionary
discovery. He is headed north, into Libya, to see if the Okavango Delta might prove the "Garden of
Eden" for ancient humanity. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

** with apologies to
Roger Lewin

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