Book Review: Carnivores Of The World

I have been meaning to review this book for quite some time now. Carnivores Of The World is a field guide that covers all 245 species of terrestrial carnivores (the Pinnipedia are not covered). It is publish by Princeton University Press as part of their field guide series. The book is written by Luke Hunter [...]

Mini Book Review: Daniel Lieberman The Evolution of the Human Head

I just bought a copy of Daniel Lieberman’s The Evolution of the Human Head the other day. I’m only on chapter three (hence a mini review), which gives an overview of the embryological development of the head. However, based on what I have read so far I would highly recommend it. The central premise is [...]

That Makes Me Like Him More!

Via Abnormal Interests comes news that Mark Twain’s autobiography is finally being published in full. I’m stoked, nay, I am chuffed about it. From the Independent: “He had doubts about God, and in the autobiography, he questions the imperial mission of the US in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. He’s also critical of [Theodore] [...]

Book Review: Vampire Forensics: Uncovering the Origins of an Enduring Legend

Then, when we had got down to the sea shore we drew our ship into the water and got her mast and sails into her; we also put the sheep on board and took our places, weeping and in great distress of mind. Circe, that great and cunning goddess, sent us a fair wind that [...]

More Books Have Arrived

As I mentioned the other day I ordered some books for Christmas. The remaining five have arrived. These are On the Origin of Phyla by Valentine, The Counter-Creationism Handbook by Isaak, Tarsiers: Past, Present, And Future edited by Wright, Simons, and Gursky, Shaping Primate Evolution: Form, Function, And Behavior Edited by Anapol, German, and Jablonski, [...]

Merry Christmas To Me

For Christmas I got to order some books off of Amazon (or in ID speak the ‘Zon). Two have arrived. the first is Tarsiers: Past, Present, and Future edited by Wright, Simons, and Gursky. The second is Patterns of Injury and Illness in Great Apes: A Skeletal Analysis by Lovell. I’ll probably review them, time [...]

Book Review: Darwin In Galapagos Footsteps To A New World

I was somewhat surprised to receive a copy of Darwin in Galapagos: Footsteps to a New World. Since I moved here from ScienceBlogs I haven’t really requested any review copies of books. Mainly because my audience has shrunk dramatically. Darwin in Galapagos: Footsteps to a New World is an interesting book, published this year, that [...]

Mark Twain and Joan of Arc

Awhile back I did a favor for a friend and to my shock they bought me a gift card to Barnes and Noble. I finally got around to going a few days before Christmas and after spending about two wandering around the store I finally bought Mark Twain’s Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc – [...]

Happy Birthday Mark Twain

Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it. – Mark Twain When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it happened or not. – Mark Twain Yup, today is Mark Twain’s 174th birthday (if I have done my [...]

Website Review: A Hominin Database

There are a number of websites out there, such as this one from the Smithsonian, that discuss human evolution and the fossil evidence for human evolution. They vary in quality and completeness and you might be tempted to ignore yet another. That would be a mistake with Hominin.net

Book Review: The Origin of Races by Carleton Coon

Awhile back Kambiz wrote a post about a recent paper by Mark Stoneking, during the course of which, Carleton Coon’s book got mentioned. When first published The Origin of Races created considerable controversy and Coon was roundly vilified by a number of physical anthropologists. About 12 years ago, while in college, I happened to buy [...]

Book Review: War before Civilization: The Myth of the Peaceful Savage

Once upon a time it used to be thought that “primitives” lead lives that were, to quote Hobbes, “…nasty, brutish, and short…”, times change and so did the lifestyle of the “Other”. Changed so much, in fact, that only European expansion, circa the age of Discovery, could provoke a war. Both ideas are the subject [...]

Book Review: Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin

Recently, I received a copy of Neil Shubin’s Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body. Shubin, you may recall, is one of the co-discoverers of Tiktaalik roseae.

Book Review: The Rhino With The Glue-On Shoes And Other Surprising True Stories Of Zoo Vets And Their Patients

Veterinarians at zoos, aquariums, and conservation areas (to mention a few) face some unique challenges. Just how unique these challenges can be is the subject of The Rhino With The Glue-On Shoes And Other Surprising True Stories Of Zoo Vets And Their Patients edited by Lucy Spelman and Ted Mashima. The book consists of twenty-eight [...]

DVD Review: Journey to 10,000 BC

Like a number of others I received a copy of Journey to 10,000 BC to review. Since I missed it on its original run on the History Channel, I was actually looking forward to seeing it.