Humans: A Guest Post by Alice Roberts

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alice Roberts, Professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham, and Director of Anatomy for the NHS Severn Deanery School of Surgery sits down with DK editors to discuss her work on Humans: The Evolution of a Species.

Humans approaches our evolutionary story through chapters detailing different parts of the human body. Why did you choose this structure?

I’m an anatomist, so while it might not seem the obvious way to organize a book like this, it was a natural choice for me to organize it by parts of the body. Apart from anything else, the human body is much easier for us to relate to than the idea of huge expanses of evolutionary time. We can all hold up a hand and wonder at how versatile it is and what it allows us to do – from manipulating objects to expressing ourselves – so that structure is, I hope, really welcoming.

What makes this book different from other books on human evolution?

I’ve always wanted to create a book like this which explores what humans are, from a biological and evolutionary perspective. It’s easy to assume that a lot about our bodies and brains is utterly unique - and yet when we start comparing ourselves in detail with other animals, we find astonishing similarities. And then we’re also able to see where the differences really do lie. You can’t really understand why the human is the way it is - unless you look at a fish heart. You can’t really understand why our brains are the way they are unless you put that into a wider context, looking at brains of other animals, including our close primate relatives. It’s this comparative approach - comparing ourselves with other living animals - that I think makes this book very different from others on human evolution. Even people who’ve read a lot about human evolution will find something new here, I’m sure. And of course we’re right bang up to date with the latest discoveries and scientific insights too.

What did you most enjoy about being involved in Humans, and why?

I loved being Editor-in-Chief on this book - shaping the form of the book right from the beginning. I love the early planning meetings where I sketch out my vision - and then, working with a fantastic team of editors, expert authors and brilliant illustrators, it all blossoms into being.

How does comparing ourselves to other animals deepen our understanding of our place in the world, and why is it important that we do so?

Understanding who we are and where we’ve come from has been an enduring question through the ages. Science - and especially biology - can now provide us with the answer to that question. And it’s an answer that reminds us of our deep connection with the rest of the natural world.

I’ve been asked - if the reader was to take one key message from the book, what would you want it to be? I think it would be that connection with nature, and that we’re part of this incredible story of life on our planet - life that first emerged some 4 billion years ago, and which has unfurled in so many directions to create the diversity we see today.