The world's most celebrated team of science writers explores the origins of human life on Earth--a wonderfully entertaining and awe-inspiring excursion through more than a billion years of evolution. Beginning with a vivid account of Darwin and his theory of evolution, the authors set out to reconst...

The world's most celebrated team of science writers explores the origins of human life on Earth--a wonderfully entertaining and awe-inspiring excursion through more than a billion years of evolution. Beginning with a vivid account of Darwin and his theory of evolution, the authors set out to reconstruct the forgotten links in our chain of being, thus illuminating our ability to understand and change ourselves.

** NATIONAL BESTSELLER - "Exciting and provocative . . . A tour de force of a book that begs to be seen as well as to be read."--* The Washington Post Book World**World renowned scientist Carl Sagan and acclaimed author Ann Druyan have written a Roots for the human species, a lucid and riveting account of how humans got to be the way we are. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a thrilling saga that starts with the origin of the Earth. It shows with humor and drama that many of our key traits--self-awareness, technology, family ties, submission to authority, hatred for those a little different from ourselves, reason, and ethics--are rooted in the deep past, and illuminated by our kinship with other animals. Sagan and Druyan conduct a breathtaking journey through space and time, zeroing in on critical turning points in evolutionary history, and tracing the origins of sex, altruism, violence, rape, and dominance. Their book culminates in a stunningly original examination of the connection between primate and human traits. Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors * is a triumph of popular science.