Fossil Men is a scientific detective story that explores the discovery of a startlingly unpredicted human ancestor more than a million years older than Lucy. It challenges orthodoxy about human evolution and triggers an epic feud about the oldest family skeleton. The book features eccentric, obsessive scientists, including Tim White, Gen Suwa, Owen Lovejoy, Berhane Asfaw, Don Johanson, and the Leakeys. Based on a half-decade of research in Africa, Europe, and North America, it is a brilliant investigation into the origins of the human lineage and the oldest of human emotions.

Format: Hardback
Length: 544 pages
Publication date: 10 December 2020
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc

Riveting. ... Pattison's uncanny ability to write evocatively about science is on full display in this captivating work. ... In this, he is every bit as good as the best scientist writers. — New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) Brilliant. ... A work of staggering depth. — Minneapolis Star Tribune A decade in the making, Fossil Men is a scientific detective story played out in anatomy and the natural history of the human body: the first full-length account of the discovery of a startlingly unpredicted human ancestor more than a million years older than Lucy. It is the ultimate mystery: where do we come from? In 1994, a team led by fossil-hunting legend Tim White uncovered a set of ancient bones in Ethiopia's Afar region. Radiometric dating of nearby rocks indicated the resulting skeleton, classified as Ardipithecus ramidus — nicknamed "Ardi" — was an astounding 4.4 million years old, more than a million years older than the world-famous "Lucy." The team spent the next 15 years studying the bones in strict secrecy, all while continuing to rack up landmark fossil discoveries in the field and becoming increasingly ensnared in bitter disputes with scientific peers and Ethiopian bureaucrats. When finally revealed to the public, Ardi stunned scientists around the world and challenged a half-century of orthodoxy about human evolution — how we started walking upright, how we evolved our nimble hands, and, most significantly, whether we were descended from an ancestor that resembled today's chimpanzee. But the discovery of Ardi wasn't just a leap forward in understanding the roots of humanity — it was an attack on scientific convention and the leading authorities of human origins, triggering an epic feud about the oldest family skeleton. In Fossil Men, acclaimed journalist Kermit Pattison brings us the gripping tale of this extraordinary discovery and the profound impact it had on our understanding of human history. With meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Pattison weaves together the scientific, cultural, and political dimensions of this groundbreaking find, revealing the human story behind the bones. From the Afar region of Ethiopia to the halls of academia, Fossil Men is a captivating exploration of the human past and the enduring quest for knowledge.

Riveting. ... Pattison's uncanny ability to write evocatively about science is on full display in this captivating work.

...

In this, he is every bit as good as the best scientist writers.

— New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)

Brilliant. ... A work of staggering depth.

— Minneapolis Star Tribune

A decade in the making, Fossil Men is a scientific detective story played out in anatomy and the natural history of the human body: the first full-length account of the discovery of a startlingly unpredicted human ancestor more than a million years older than Lucy.

It is the ultimate mystery: where do we come from?

In 1994, a team led by fossil-hunting legend Tim White uncovered a set of ancient bones in Ethiopia's Afar region.

Radiometric dating of nearby rocks indicated the resulting skeleton, classified as Ardipithecus ramidus — nicknamed "Ardi" — was an astounding 4.4 million years old, more than a million years older than the world-famous "Lucy."

The team spent the next 15 years studying the bones in strict secrecy, all while continuing to rack up landmark fossil discoveries in the field and becoming increasingly ensnared in bitter disputes with scientific peers and Ethiopian bureaucrats.

When finally revealed to the public, Ardi stunned scientists around the world and challenged a half-century of orthodoxy about human evolution — how we started walking upright, how we evolved our nimble hands, and, most significantly, whether we were descended from an ancestor that resembled today's chimpanzee.

But the discovery of Ardi wasn't just a leap forward in understanding the roots of humanity — it was an attack on scientific convention and the leading authorities of human origins, triggering an epic feud about the oldest family skeleton.

In Fossil Men, acclaimed journalist Kermit Pattison brings us the gripping tale of this extraordinary discovery and the profound impact it had on our understanding of human history.

With meticulous research and vivid storytelling, Pattison weaves together the scientific, cultural, and political dimensions of this groundbreaking find, revealing the human story behind the bones.

From the Afar region of Ethiopia to the halls of academia, Fossil Men is a captivating exploration of the human past and the enduring quest for knowledge.

Weight: 782g
Dimension: 161 x 237 x 49 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780062410283