Advance Praise for The First Human

“From the outside, the science of paleoanthropology often looks like a swamp of ego, paranoia, possessiveness, and intellectual mercantilism. This view describes no more than the visible tip of a very large and profoundly fascinating iceberg; but there is more of a grain of truth in it nonetheless, as Ann Gibbons shows in an absorbing tale of discovery dominated by a handful of difficult and quirky characters worthy of a Gothic novel. If you want some insight into the human story behind current takes on the saga of our remotest origins, start here.” —Ian Tattersall, author of Becoming Human

“The last decade has witnessed a rebirth in the way we understand our species’ first steps toward becoming human. Perhaps more than anyone, Ann Gibbons has had her finger on the pulse of that revolution, and in The First Human she provides a startlingly vivid chronicle. Hominids four million years old come alive in its pages, overshadowed only by the ambition, bravery and occasionally astonishing viciousness of the men and women who risk their lives and reputations trying to uncover the secret of our earliest origins. A must-read for anyone interested in human evolution, or human nature.” —James Shreeve, author of The Genome War and The Neandertal Enigma

“The past decade has seen a series of astonishing discoveries about our distant ancestors, but it has not seen a book that does justice to them—until now. The First Human is a marvelous narrative of science and scientists, simultaneously exciting and authoritative. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand where we come from and how we know it.”

 —Carl Zimmer, author of Soul Made Flesh and Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins