Discusses a controversial theory of common human ancestry in the form of one woman who lived in Africa approximately 150,000 years ago, and discusses the ways in which early humans evolved and spread out around the world

Expresses an infectious sense of wonder at the uniqueness of our species. It is hard not to be affected by his enthusiasm. What explains the staggering diversity of cultures in the world? Why are there so many languages, even within small areas? Why do we rejoice in rituals and wrap ourselves in flags? In Wired for Culture Mark Pagel, the world's leading expert on human development, reveals how our facility for culture is the key to what makes us who we are. Shedding light on everything from art, morality and affection to jealousy, self-interest and prejudice. Pagel shows that we developed culture - cooperating together and passing on knowledge - in order to survive. Our minds are hardwired for culture, and it still determines how we speak, who we love, why we kill and what we think today. 'Human evolution may be the hottest area in popular science writing. Within this field, Wired for Culture stands out for both its sweeping erudition and its accessibility ... richly rewarding' Financial Times 'Impressive for its detail, accuracy and vivacity' Guardian 'Pioneering, vivid ... the best popular science book on culture so far' Nature

With the recent biomedical discovery on the human genome, what lies in store for new medicine? In LIFE SCRIPT, Nicholas Wade claims that medicine is still in its dark age. We think of our medicine as sophisticated but a few decades from now much of it may be regarded with the same horror as we view the barber-surgeons of the 18th century. But with the human genome now in hand, we can begin to lay the foundation for understanding the body. Decoding genomic information is leading to a revolution -- the genome and new cell biology will create the basis for a new medicine. Consider a new way of healing the body: instead of cutting the flesh with scalpels, poisoning it with chemical drugs or burning it with radiation, the physician would gently treat the body with nothing but cells and proteins, seeking to mend like with like; instead of depending only on his own knowledge, the physician would seek to tap the information in the genome, and to exploit the fact that the body's cells are designed to be a self-assembling system, when given the right signals. LIFE SCRIPT will explore how we will be affected, from the benefits of cancer treatments and immunisation to the grey moral areas of genetic engineering and longevity. Possession of the genome, states Wade, is a loss of innocence, in that it puts an unprecedented kind of power into our hands; sooner or later we will have to choose whether to use it, and to what end.

Recent years have seen several fascinating Australian autobiographies and there are, of course, a number of excellent general texts on today's environmental problems, though few of them focus on the Australian scene. What Graham Chittleborough has done in masterly fashion is to combine the two genres and garnish the whole with piquant experiences of Australian politics and bureaucracy. This is a striking account both of his life as an ecologist and of what the lives of our grandchildren may prove to be unless we mend our environmental ways. His focus is Australia but his reach is global and there are few parts of the world and few environmental problems left unvisited. No mere cassandra, he proposes remedies as well as sounds warnings, and with it all he is as entertaining as he is instructive.