Adaptable : The Surprising Science of Human Diversity

'Engrossing, richly informative . . . challenges us to rethink universal health benchmarks' New YorkerAmbitious, controversial, there's a line of humour running through it too...I learned a lot' New Scientist A new way of thinking about diversity and what really unites us, from the internationally renowned author of BurnAs an evolutionary anthropologist conducting ground-breaking research with human populations around the globe, Herman Pontzer has come to see much more clearly how our genes and environments combine to shape our bodies and our health: for better or worse.In this book, he takes us on a tour of the human body and the surprising ways it can change in response to its environment: from the Andean groups who have developed increased lung capacity to the Sama divers who have larger spleens.He also highlights the critical ways we misinterpret biological adaptations: in healthcare, public policy and individual choices. With so much of our wellbeing and public discourse centred on human biology, a clear understanding of the distinction between socially constructed and genetic differences is more important than ever.This timely reappraisal of an overlooked science is an essential guide to our remarkable bodies.