I, Mammal - The Story of What Makes Us Mammals

Zusatztext Not only fun and instructive but also wonderfully written ! I! Mammal takes us on an erudite journey through mammalian evolution. Liam Drew effortlessly weaves science together with all manner of often very funny anecdotes. Reading it will be a pleasure for scientists and non-specialists alike. Informationen zum Autor Liam Drew is a writer! former neurobiologist and mammal. He has a PhD in sensory biology from University College London! and spent twelve years researching the neural and genetic basis of schizophrenia! the biology of pain and the birth of new neurons in the adult mammalian brain at Columbia University! New York and at UCL. His writing has appeared in Nature ! New Scientist ! Slate and the Guardian . He is director of NeuWrite London! a London subsidiary of 'NeuWrite: a collaborative working group for scientists! writers! and those in between'. He lives in Kent with his wife and two daughters.@liamjdrew Klappentext A list of the attributes that define a mammal is a ragbag of things - fur! live birth! three bones in the middle ear! a brain whose two halves are robustly joined together... But this curious collection of features contain the roots of all the biology that makes us what we are: monkeys with massive brains who parent extensively! enjoy sport and think lots. Which is to say! what makes us mammals makes us human. Without mammary glands we might not be such dedicated parents! without those middle ear bones there would be no Bach.90 per cent science! 10 per cent memoir! I! Mammal is a book about a life lived as a mammal. It examines each trait that defines a mammal and each section provides a plotted evolutionary history of the trait in question! how scientists came to understand it and how it varies across mammals. Entwined among these themes are personal notes on the author's experience of living with such traits.By considering these traits one at a time! a picture builds of what a mammal is. The story is part triumphalism - a tale of how! once the dinosaurs were out the way! mammals came to dominate this planet - and part appreciation! a gentle reflection on how each of us is the fortunate product of the unpredictable turns of biological history. A history of mammals and their ancestors, and of how science came to grasp mammalian evolution Zusammenfassung Humans are mammals. Most of us appreciate that at some level. But what does it mean for us to have more in common with a horse and an elephant than we do with a parrot! snake or frog?After a misdirected football left new father Liam Drew clutching a uniquely mammalian part of his anatomy! he decided to find out more. Considering himself as a mammal first and a human second! Liam delves into ancient biological history to understand what it means to be mammalian.In his humorous and engaging style! Liam explores the different characteristics that distinguish mammals from other types of animals. He charts the evolution of milk! warm blood and burgeoning brains! and examines the emergence of sophisticated teeth! exquisite ears! and elaborate reproductive biology! plus a host of other mammalian innovations. Entwined are tales of zoological peculiarities and reflections on how being a mammal has shaped the author's life. I! Mammal is a history of mammals and their ancestors and of how science came to grasp mammalian evolution. And in celebrating our mammalian-ness! Liam Drew binds us a little more tightly to the five and a half thousand other species of mammal on this planet and reveals the deep roots of many traits humans hold dear. ...

Report

A splendid evolutionary study ... Drew is a wry guide to wonders such as the evolution of the scrotum and the epic journey of marsupial newborns. Nature

Product details

• Authors: Liam Drew
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.11.2017
• EAN: 9781472922908
• ISBN: 978-1-4729-2290-8
• No. of pages: 336
• Dimensions: 135 mm x 215 mm x 24 mm
• Series: Bloomsbury Sigma
• Subject: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Natural sciences (general)