The First Human: The Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors

by Ann Gibbons

Book Overview

'The First Human' is a chronicle of four competitive teams of scientists in a heated race to find the fossil of the earliest human ancestor and solve once and for all the most primal of questions -... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385512260
• ISBN13: 9780385512268
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 1.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A Human who can write!

The First Human by Ann Gibbons is a good book for any armchair paleoanthropologist. She reviews concisely the history of the search for human origins and reveals in great detail the recent discoveries made over the last few decades. The book is well written and analytical with in depth reporting from actual interviews with the principals who have made the most recent finds. I highly recommend this book.

Fascinating read!

As a student of paleoanthropology, I was slightly wary of reading another popular account of fossil hunting in Africa. After finishing "The First Human," however, I can say with certainty that not only did Ann Gibbons do her homework, but that she was able to deftly weave together both the science and the politics in one of the most fascinating narratives I've read in some time. One really begins to understand both the hardship of paleoanthropological fieldwork and the thrill of discovery. But that of course is only the beginning. Her descriptions of the ensuing scientific cross-fire, often tainted by personal and political conflict, are clear and engaging. All in all, a well-written and up-to-date chronicle of the science of human origins.

Makes You Want to Watch for Anything Else She Writes

As best I can tell this is Ann Gibbons first book. And it makes you want to keep an eye out for anything else she publishes. Nominally this book is a report on the search for our first ancestors. But in reality it is a book on the people doing the searching. Big time science, be it physics or medicine or, as in this case, paleontologists the struggle is only partially one of finding the answer to the problem. The real problems are in getting funded, then when you discover something, going to war against your fellow scientists whole will be attacking your results because if you get more funding, more support, more prizes they will suffer, or at least they think they will. Ms Gibbons primarily follows four teams who are looking for evidence about our earliest ancestors. Our ancestors didn't conveniently die in nice places that you'd want to visit. Having to go where the fossils are. And in the case of human ancestors, that means Africa. And not the nicest places in Africa but dry hot deserts in Ethiopia, Chad and places like that. While I suspect that the discoveries described in this book will be replaced by the next finding somewhere else, the interplay of the people will remain constant. Next, Ms. Gibbons, how about looning into astronomy/cosmology.

The Drama of Paleoanthropology

Few are neutral on the subject of human origins. Many find the evolution of the human species a subject that demeans the status of man as a little lower than the angels. Those that accept evolution find themselves on one side or another of the various controversies caused by the new discoveries that seem to appear on a very regular basis. It is this latter ferment that Ann Gibbons describes in her book "The First Human". She has produced an excellent account of the often contentious search for human origins. It is certainly unfortunate that so many of the people involved in the discovery of human fossils have been egotistical and often vicious in their treatment of anyone they deemed as competitors. The political maneuvering that denied some researchers permits and the often lurid public attacks on rival researchers left paleoanthropolgy with a stained reputation and very possibly did some damage to the research itself. One is reminded of the famous Marsh-Cope feud over dinosaur and other fossil bones. Only medical research may have had as cut-throat a history as paleontology. Still, either despite the unpleasant fights or perhaps because of them, many fossils have been discovered and our understanding of human evolution has become more solid with time. In fact there are so many fossils (as well as DNA evidence) connecting humans and our closest relatives that human evolution from the same line as apes is more established than ever. An African origin for all of the various "races" is also nearly certain, despite the various multi-origin or Asian origin hypotheses. We are thus all Africans and we are all also very closely related, despite superficial differences, such as skin color or head shape. If you want a very readable history of the discovery of man's ancestors up to nearly the present, this is a good book to read. Of course it is undoubtedly already out of date in this fast moving field!

"Bones of Contention" [updated] **

If this book is any indication, palaeoanthropology needs new electives in its curriculum. A course in "Field Combat Tactics" appears useful, while "The Intricacies of Site Permits" seems almost essential - perhaps a requirement. Ann Gibbons may not be certified as a combat correspondent, but she does a fine job of narrating the course anthropology has taken in seeking the "first human" and the conflicts that have arisen over the findings. What is notable about the strife among the members of that community is that Roger Lewin seemed to have covered it in "Bones of Contention" in 1987. Things appear to have heated up instead of calming down. Opening with an account of French scholar Michel Brunet's work in the desert of Chad, Gibbons explains what's involved in finding human fossils. Darwin, she reminds us, suggested human origins lay in Africa. This idea challenged the received wisdom of Asia being the source of humanity. Gibbons' account of how ideas about human origins became established, challenged and regularly overturned makes gripping reading. She notes that Don Johanson's "Lucy", a pivotal find in tracing the human lineage, held primacy for many years. Lucy's age and location seemed indicative, granting her direct ancestry to modern humans and pinpointing the upper Rift Valley as humanity's starting point. Brunet, among others, has doubts about this scenario. It was too simple, and simple answers have no place in human evolution. From Piltdown to Pithecanthropus, Gibbons clearly depicts the various ideas, their promoters and their resolution that have occurred during the years. Fossil hunters have roamed over Africa's wild landscapes seeking clues. They are scattered and rarely definitive, usually providing only tantalising and incomplete bits of information. Lucy herself was but 40% complete [if you pair the bones, 20% if you count them against the total], while Nariokotome Boy had 80% of his skeleton retrieved. Gibbons explains why certain bones have importance in determining if a fossil indicates it's a hominid, while others provide clues to environmental conditions when the creature lived. Diet, activity, and other hints can be derived, but the analytical task is arduous. Almost as difficult as the field retrievals themselves. The competition to find the "first human" is sometimes intense. Finding the fossil is tough enough, with searchers crawling over the ground like penitent supplicants. Getting to the site is more than simply boarding a 4 X 4 or camel train. Since the searchers are mostly Europeans or North Americans, the issue of permits to dig arises early. These often require months of negotiation, sometimes with money changing hands to facilitate the process. Abandoned sites or lapsed permits may require additional resolution. In at least one case, weapons were in evidence. What more could shatter the stereotype of the bumbling academic unable to deal with the "real world"? The conflicts and c