Eve / Cat Bohannon

 

2.6 out of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. The main thing that appeals to me is her underlying premise that the theories about human evolution have largely been theorized by men, who assumed that “human innovation had been driven by groups of men solving man-problems.” So I appreciate her turning of the tables on those chauvinist assumptions. Unfortunately, it seems to me that she falls into the trap of thinking that natural selection has a plan, that evolution has direction or is aiming for something. It just doesn't work that way—we have certain genetics and if those tiny blueprints give us an advantage, our offspring may proliferate more than those of our neighbours (or not).

I had never thought of gynecology as an asset in the human evolution game, but I think she has a point. Females helping others with the labouring process would be a distinct advantage. However behaviours don't fossilize, so it's a largely theoretical argument, as is the chapter on our unusual condition known as menopause. Sure, it's a nice bonus to have wise elders to help with memories of previous solutions to thorny problems, but it's almost certainly an evolutionary accident.

I had never encountered the information on throat sacs in primates before, despite taking several primatology courses in university and volunteering as an education docent in natural history for 17 years. I was intrigued by the idea that the loss of throat sacs would have been an advantage for a primate that had made the switch to an upright posture. It made sense to me: the drainage of sinuses down the throat, resulting in more vocal sac infections, could be selected against. That the loss of vocal sacs would be a step towards the possible development of spoken language is a tempting new idea for me.

Generally, when she deals with actual fossil evidence, I like her conclusions. But all the theoretical speculations, while fun, are just that, speculations. There are entertaining footnotes aplenty and copious endnotes too (where I found some sources for the fascinating throat sac material). There is also a very long bibliography, which I appreciated. As with any “explanation“ of human behaviour, take it all with a very large grain of salt.