h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Potholer, here are the summaries I promised to write. Alex said to post them to you and you'd be able to get them on the page easily enough. So here they are


The Day Before Yesterday – Colin Tudge
This book looks at human evolution from an ecological and historical point of view. Tudge takes a holistic view, looking at the climatic history of the earth and how mammals have responded to the shifts in climate, and the shifting continents over millions of years. This ‘dance through time’, how not just individual species but whole suites of species evolve due to these changes, is then applied to our own evolution. Tudge is no expert on fossils, although he discusses the classification of our ancestors well enough; what he excels in is applying general ecological principles to how ancient humans lived, which is truly fascinating and enlightening (homo floresiensis’ discovery would not have unduly surprised Tudge, I think). The discussions on hominds’ hunting techniques, the Pleistocene overkill with its incredible loss of species, and how farming began are particularly interesting. Anyone who is at all interested in human evolution and our place in nature should read this book.


Guns, Germs and Steel – Jared Diamond
Working as a biologist in Papua New Guinea, Diamond was asked by one of natives, ‘Why do white men have so much cargo, compared to us black fellas?’ cargo being technology and goods. The book is subtitled ‘A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 years’, and Diamond takes the long view, looking at how agriculture started, and what ‘raw materials’ were available on each continent. Going through the various continents’ flora and fauna in detail, and the geography of the continents, Diamond creates an excellent theory to explain the West’s predominance in the broadest possible terms. The consequences of this development, in terms of the rise of the weaponry, infectious diseases (which have all crossed over to us from domesticated livestock) and technology, are discussed in depth, both as the widest-ranging historian and as a friend of the Papuan natives he has come to know and respect.


The Universe that Discovered Itself – John Barrow
Life, the Universe and Everything are not explained in this book, but if they ever are, most of the same questions will be debated. It looks at how people have explained nature throughout history, and examines how our conception that there *are* laws of nature arose. It then proceeds through the latest developments in cosmology, via mathematics, logic and philosophy. Far and away the most thought-provoking of the recent many books on cosmology, this is a demanding but incredibly rewarding journey through what we think we know.

Cheers - they're uploaded now.