The Link: Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor

A really facinating look at our early history and how Ida fits in to the overall evolution of the primates

A very well organized, compelling and interesting read. Students particularly will find this a handy addition to simplifying a terribly complicated and confusing subject. The photos are amazing. I did find however, that I needed to sit in front of the computer to look up all the scientific names and terms as I read through it. I think the book itself is great, it's the lack of supporting photos and charts that's frustrating. Dry noses, wet noses, prosimians, anthropoids, adapids etc. Photos or pictures of these imbedded in the text would have been very helpful. But, evidenced by the fact that I can write the above terms when I had no idea what they were or meant before I picked up this book I did learn a lot. Nicely done.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

All we can do now is shake our heads and laugh at people that still dont believe in evolution.

Ah, where to begin... Well first this book is great. Well written, interesting, and another nail in the already shut coffin on where humans evolved from. The Earth is older than 4,000 years, carbon dating really does work, and dinosaurs really existed, the end. Its time for everyone to take a step back and look at actual evidence before making judgments and pulling the bible card. Ignorance is not bliss all the time and we could be Evolving further as people if we could realize we are finding out new evidence all the time on where we came from and how. Every year the number of non religious people is rising and it probabaly has something to do with the ability to reason outside the box, and be ok with it. i personally am ok that life has the ability to adapt and make itself stronger for future generations, and wasn't snapped into existense. we know that future studies will again prove evolution, as it has over and over so lets just enjoy these amazing discoveries that science finds enjoy the truth.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

On the Origins of Man

Do you know the difference between the Eocene and the Miocene? How about an anthropoid and a hominid? Where on your family tree would you likely find a Omomyid or a Tarsier? It doesn't matter.

Colin Tudge slides gracefully over the more arcane paleontological terms and carefully uncovers for us the story of the discovery and the significance of one of mankind's earliest ancestors, Ida.

Ida, who was rescued from the Messel Pit in Germany by a private collector and then squirreled away for years, found her way to a fossil-fair in Hamburg, Germany, in 2006. There, she was rescued by Jorn Hurum, an associate professor of paleontology at the University of Oslo. And Ida's claim to fame? She is a complete fossil, right down to the remains of her last meal in the pit of her stomach. Futhermore, she predates apes by about 15 million years. And finally, she was found in what is now western Europe, not in Africa.

The joy of Tudge's effort is the seamless blending of paleontology and geology to provide the lay-reader with a detective story, rich in scientific detail, as well as an over-arching perspective upon the origins of man.

My only criticism is his needless and aimless wanderings into the morass of global warming. Must every scientific writer, no matter the topic, evangelize upon this new-found religion? But don't worry, the homily slides by, just like the geological and paleontological terms, and the reader is left with a darn good yarn.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Link Is Good for Evolution Understanding

The book by Colin Tudge is about a fossil find from Germany. It recently garnered a lot of press. Found by a private collector from the Messel site in Germany and hidden away for 20 years, has some negative connotations. A scientist from Oslo Norway obtaining the speciman and putting a team together to study it is compelling. It is very clear to the lay person. For that primary reason I recommend the book. I question calling it a Link as that term is discouraged in scientific circles, but maybe as a hook for lay readers it is worth it. A paper about the discovery and evaluation of the find has only recently been published. Peer review has only just begun. What I really like about the book is the description of the time period in which the fossil lived and the description of the evolution of primates. This is valuable to hear through all the noise of creationism and its child intelligent design. That makes the book a recommneded read for the lay person.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Primates;

The Link is one of the most enlightening, updated, informative reads on primates on the market. When comparing it to other books on primates it is accurate,and compelling. i would highly recommend this book to students,researchers and anyone interested in the study of the origin of man. Without "The Link" your knowledege will be incomplete.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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