Adaptable: The Surprising Science of Human Diversity

Real diversity isn’t skin deep. Over the past 100,000 years, as humans expanded into every biome on the planet, our bodies and our cultures have been fine-tuned to our local environments. Beyond the physical demands of our climate, we live our lives immersed in ideas and norms that affect what we eat, how we move and why we get sick – all of which, in turn, affect how our bodies work.

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 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.

Review

An engrossing, richly informative exploration of human biological diversity . . . it challenges us to rethink universal health benchmarks -- Manvir Singh ― New Yorker

Every “miraculous protein robot”, as Pontzer calls us, should read the book... an ambitious and enjoyable exploration of how understanding ourselves better can help us bridge the divides... I learned a lot and greatly enjoyed the tour -- Michael Le Page ― New Scientist

Adaptable is ambitious, wide-ranging, and fun to read. Pontzer has a gift for explaining complicated and nuanced topics in fresh ways, and he tackles all the big questions about how our bodies work with a delicate―and entertaining―touch -- Alex Hutchinson, author of Endure

Pontzer has written a dazzling guide to the human body, in all its weird and wonderful glory. This is the fascinating story of how our bodies―products of evolutionary history and genes, environment and culture―work and why they differ. Brimming with wit and wisdom, Adaptable is essential reading for anyone interested in how we humans came to be the way we are -- Kate Wong, senior editor at Scientific American

Adaptable is the book I've been waiting for. It answers questions that nag us today about the human condition and describes how we got here. It’s an engaging and down-to earth read that bristles with up-to-date and thoughtfully provocative scholarship -- Nina G. Jablonski, author of It's Just Skin, Silly!

About the Author

Herman Pontzer is a professor of evolutionary anthropology and global health at Duke University. He is an internationally recognized researcher in human energetics and evolution. He is the author of Burn.