The Book of Humans: The Story of How We Became Us | 
pickA fascinating look at what makes humans different (or not) from other animals. It‘s written for a smart but not scientific audience. I found it approachable and engaging even though I haven‘t taken a biology class since high school.
“And of course, when we speak, we disturb particles of air, which vibrate the drums of our ears and trigger the similarly complex process of hearing. Without ears or air, there is no speech. Genes are templates, brains are frameworks, the environment is a canvas. We separate out each of these parts only in order to understand the bigger picture, but let us not pretend that they all popped into being at once.”
“. . . DNA is a remarkably stable data storage format. In a living cell, it‘s preserved by active maintenance, by proteins that spell-check and edit and make sure that each time it is copied, mistakes are limited. In a dead cell, there is none of that proofreading, but DNA can persist for thousands of years, in the right conditions - preferably dry and cold, and in the presence of as few other organisms as possible . . .”
My January #NewYearWhoDis wrap up! Really enjoyed the list from @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm - enjoyed all I finished and will probably read more from the list as the year goes on. Favorite was Coraline - so good on audio with Gaiman reading!
Thanks for hosting @monalyisha #NYWD22
Picture of April being adorable just because #catsoflitsy
“Perhaps it is not the use itself that distinguishes us from them. It is more that we pass on this knowledge and these abilities to craft tools.”
“In that sense, part of the answer to the question of how we developed such artisan tool-making skills is luck. Our environment and our evolution meant that manual dexterity and brains in which the sophistication required to make and play a fiddle (a long way down the line) were things that natural selection would favor, nurture and develop. It turns out that there are tools and technology used by dozens of animals . . .”
1. Tagged, lol, it‘s getting the spotlight again! 😅
2. 👍👍
3. Fantasy, though I‘m very eclectic and will read most any genre.
No tags since I‘m late.
Thank you @Eggs and @Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick for tagging me! ❤️🤗❤️
#WondrousWednesday
The tagged. I‘m an absolute nerd for anything having to do with evolution and this book was an absolute blast to read! The humor and pop culture references peppered throughout had me laughing out loud in public places. And I am not a quiet laugher… 😅 I would recommend it to anyone with a passing interest in the subject, you don‘t have to be obsessed like me to enjoy it. 😜
@kathytrithardt #QotD
pick5 ⭐️s
It‘s no secret I‘m a huge evolution nerd, so I‘m sure it comes as no surprise that I absolutely loved this book. Rutherford‘s another amazing communicator whose works I‘ll need to collect. I learned SO much! I took this to work with me and the pop culture references and his sense of humor had me giggling uncontrollably in the break room more than once.
100% recommend to anyone interested in learning what makes us the paragon of animals.
I would just like to stop and take a moment to appreciate that the last three science books I‘ve read have heavily referenced The Hitchhiker‘s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. It‘s like... Nerdom Inception for me. 😅
1. Celebrate St. Patrick‘s Day! Won‘t be much different than any other year, we typically stay in at home where it‘s safest during this holiday. 😅
2. Self-help. YA used to be a contender but thanks to Litsy I‘ve managed to find some great YA and Mid-Grade reads.
3. Honestly any story I really wanted a sequel to has one... Fight Club used to be my answer, but there is now a graphic novel continuation.
#MotivationalMonday @Cupcake12
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