The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease

Academics and people who view and discuss the human body in the light of evolution pinpoint changes based on solid scientific ground, informed speculation, or hand waving, which must have occurred for our species to survive over other archaic hominins. The question we would like to answer, and the one that Dr. Daniel Lieberman explores in his latest book, is: What are human bodies adapted for? Naturally, this question is quite complex and discussing it in the context of not one but three intricate topics comprising evolution, health, and disease makes this exploration quite ambitious. The question is imperative at this point in time, as we face a heavy burden of modern diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, neuronal degeneration, and countless other afflictions. It is necessary to step back and critically think about how their high incidence came to be and why we suffer more despite living better. More importantly, what lessons can we draw from the past and present to predict the future of our bodies? The book is divided in three parts consisting of several chapters each. In the first part, the evolution of the human body, with the advantages and disadvantages of evolving bipedalism, energetically costlier larger brains, and the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, are discussed. In the second part, major transitions from food hunting to farming and the technological advancements that spurred the Industrial Revolution offer clues to how maladapted our hunter-gatherer bodies are for the modern times. The chapters on the effects of farming in our diet and, consequently, our jaws and bodies are particularly noteworthy and highly recommended. Finally, the last part explores how our body is coping with our physically comfortable lifestyle with serious consequences to our health and well-being. Age-related disorders notwithstanding, many afflictions we experience today appear to be maladaptation rather than adaptation, due to recent transformations in human history. The great advantage of this book is that Dr. Lieberman is a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, and he infuses his writing with somewhat entertaining evolutionary musings over redundant daily tasks (i.e., taking the elevator or stairs; sitting on a comfy chair or squatting; running barefoot or not; etc.) that we could all practice for both our intellectual and physical benefit. Furthermore, the author succeeds in condensing 7 or so million years (starting with Sahelanthropus) of evolution while still making the book accessible and informative. However, some topic discussions and themes are slightly copy and paste throughout the chapters, and specific studies are discussed for an expert audience. But given the severity of health problems arising from our diet and environment, this comprehensive story, albeit incomplete, is highly relevant. It also encourages appreciating how our bodies adapt — and why they may be changing for the worse if we don’t educate ourselves on what is natural to them.