Your Inner Fish - Books.Infosec.Exchange

E-book

English language

Published Dec. 14, 2008 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

ISBN:: 978-0-307-37716-6
OCLC Number:: 232323878

Why do we look the way we do? What does the human hand have in common with the wing of a fly? Are breasts, sweat glands, and scales connected in some way? To better understand the inner workings of our bodies and to trace the origins of many of today's most common diseases, we have to turn to unexpected sources: worms, flies, and even fish.Neil Shubin, a leading paleontologist and professor of anatomy who discovered Tiktaalik--the "missing link" that made headlines around the world in April 2006--tells the story of evolution by tracing the organs of the human body back millions of years, long before the first creatures walked the earth. By examining fossils and DNA, Shubin shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our head is organized like that of a long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genome look and function like those of worms …

Why do we look the way we do? What does the human hand have in common with the wing of a fly? Are breasts, sweat glands, and scales connected in some way? To better understand the inner workings of our bodies and to trace the origins of many of today's most common diseases, we have to turn to unexpected sources: worms, flies, and even fish.Neil Shubin, a leading paleontologist and professor of anatomy who discovered Tiktaalik--the "missing link" that made headlines around the world in April 2006--tells the story of evolution by tracing the organs of the human body back millions of years, long before the first creatures walked the earth. By examining fossils and DNA, Shubin shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our head is organized like that of a long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genome look and function like those of worms and bacteria.Shubin makes us see ourselves and our world in a completely new light. Your Inner Fish is science writing at its finest--enlightening, accessible, and told with irresistible enthusiasm.From the Hardcover edition.

9 editions

Ben Waber reviewed Your inner fish by Neil Shubin

An Enjoyable Ride with Lots of Detours

4 stars

I read this book to gain a better understanding of the evolutionary origins of the human body, and while this is covered a bit here it's not really the main thrust of the book. Instead, it's a fascinating dive into Shubin's paleontology career and the science of paleontology more broadly. This book meanders a bit towards the end, going to basic introductions to embryology and genetics. Still, if you want to learn more about paleontology and get a better idea about why some animal body parts are the way they are, this is a good book to pick up.

Ben Waber

rated it

July 3

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