Shubin discusses several ways of gettting at this information. Comparisons with other animals demonstrates the similarities in the body structures of different species. With some animals it is possible to make alterations to the embryo and see what effect this has as it develops. And of course there is Shubin's own speciality, the study of fossils. He tells of his trips to remote places - well as remote as funds will allow - and how years of searching are made worthwhile by one groundbreaking discovery. The book tells of how different parts of our anatomy, such as hands, teeth, or the head, have developed from structures in earlier species. There are also chapters on how the senses of smell, vision and hearing have developed.

I felt that the book showed the reader some of the excitement of tracing the history of our bodies further and further back in time, but not enough to make it into a gripping read. So the book is certainly worth reading if you want to find out more about the subject, and it's made it to the shortlist of 2009 Royal Society Prize for Science Books, but I wouldn't tip it as the final winner."; include "amazinf.php"; ?>