The Biology of Us

In our modern world, it is easy to overlook the natural world all around us. Only major life events, such as birth, injury, disease, and death, remind us that we are still biological organisms. We "interact" with nature in controlled and safe environments, such as zoos, theme parks, or through different forms of media. Television shows, films, and books are nearly always in exotic locations (e.g., the Kalahari Desert, the deep ocean, or Antarctica), but they inadvertently reinforce our separation from nature. Biology happens somewhere else. Author Gary Howard seeks to change that perception. The Biology of Us describes the common but fascinating examples of biology and nature that are hidden in plain sight in our daily lives. It focuses on human biology, but describes animals and plants all around, on, and in us to put human features into an evolutionary context. Many aspects of ourselves and our normal activities are examples of evolution: breathing, eating, standing up, communicating, telling time, and more. This book illustrates evolutionary strategies used successfully by common organisms for hundreds of millions of years. Howard shows that the organisms in our daily lives are not trivial neighbors or even pests but are just as amazing as those in the Serengeti or the Galápagos Islands.