Adaptable

Why are our bodies so diverse? The internationally renowned expert in evolution revolutionises our view of what makes us human.

As 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 Adaptable, 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—from healthcare, race and IQ to sex and gender.

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.