| View Larger Image | The Ascent of Mind: Ice Age Climates and the Evolution of Intelligence | Paperbackby William Calvin (Author)
| List Price: | $19.95 | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | IUniverse | | Page Count: | 324 Pages | | Publication Date: | January 28, 2001 | | Sales Rank: | 1,039,289st |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
Daniel C. Dennet’s description of this scientist’s travelogue: “How did the mind evolve? It takes a scientist of extraordinary breadth who is also a master storyteller to sketch the boundaries of this mega-narrative, and William Calvin has once again given us a feast of new perspectives, enriching the vision of our future as much as our past.” |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 1 review)
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Unearth this out-of-print gem on human evolution!  5 Stars
September 23, 2000
It is a pity that this spirited rant,which theorizes how sudden and cyclical global climate change pumped out ever stranger variations of hominids, is typically purchased by readers who buy books on cognition and neurology. Despite the "brainy" title, it is chock full of fascinating theories not just on the size and performance of the human brain but on many aspects of natural selection mechanics, and would be equally at home on the bookshelf of an anthropologist, paleontologist, geologist or meteorologist. Bringing home his ideas with modern everyday examples and an entertaining narrative structure, Calvin explains the usually stuffy and arcane study of our prehistoric ancestors and their less fortunate cousins in terms of systems of complex cause and effect, including the fluctuating environment and hominids' own changing mix of attributes. Dig this book up! [p.s. Great airplane reading--can't tell you why.]
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SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
| A Brain for All Seasons: Human Evolution and Abrupt Climate Change
by William H. Calvin (Author)
One of the most shocking realizations of all time has slowly been dawning on us: the earth's climate does great flip-flops every few thousand years, and with breathtaking speed. In just a few years, the climate suddenly cools worldwide. With only half the rainfall, severe dust storms whirl across vast areas. Lightning strikes ignite giant forest fires. For most mammals, including our ancestors, populations crash. Our ancestors lived through hundreds of such abrupt episodes since the more...
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| A Brief History of the Mind: From Apes to Intellect and Beyond
by William H. Calvin (Author)
This book looks back at the simpler versions of mental life in apes, Neanderthals, and our ancestors, back before our burst of creativity started 50,000 years ago. When you can't think about the future in much detail, you are trapped in a here-and-now existence with no "What if?" and "Why me?" William H. Calvin takes stock of what we have now and then explains why we are nearing a crossroads, where mind shifts gears again. The mind's big bang came long after our brain size stopped enlarging....
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| Global Fever: How to Treat Climate Change
by William H. Calvin (Author)
Every decade since 1950 has seen more floods and more wildfires on every continent. Deserts are expanding, coral reefs are dying, fisheries are declining, hurricanes are strengthening. The debate about climate change is over: there’s no question that global warming has made the Earth sick, and the outlook for the future calls for ever-warmer temperatures and deadlier results. Something must be done—but how quickly?
With Global Fever, William H. Calvin delivers both...
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| Frozen Earth: The Once and Future Story of Ice Ages
by Doug Macdougall (Author)
In this engrossing and accessible book, Doug Macdougall explores the causes and effects of ice ages that have gripped our planet throughout its history, from the earliest known glaciation--nearly three billion years ago--to the present. Following the development of scientific ideas about these dramatic events, Macdougall traces the lives of many of the brilliant and intriguing characters who have contributed to the evolving understanding of how ice ages come about. As it explains how the great...
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| Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
by Richard Wrangham (Author)
Ever since Darwin and The Descent of Man, the existence of humans has been attributed to our intelligence and adaptability. But in Catching Fire, renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham presents a startling alternative: our evolutionary success is the result of cooking. In a groundbreaking theory of our origins, Wrangham shows that the shift from raw to cooked foods was the key factor in human evolution. When our ancestors adapted to using fire, humanity began. Once our hominid ancestors...
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