Ocean State Libraries

"How did humans get their start as a species? This is one of the core questions that have preoccupied humankind for centuries. This volume considers the complex and often mysterious characteristics that define humanity, including its unique anatomical and neurological features, behaviors such as use of tools and language, and the social structures that are unique to the species. The book also considers how the species has evolved over time and how...

The theory of evolution takes hold-transforming ideas about survival, extinction, and life itself. Can species change? Or go extinct? In the eighteenth century, most people answer no to both questions. But in the century that follows, that certainty gets challenged as some people in Europe question the common belief that all creatures are the same as they've been since life's creation.