Geographical Magazine
A STORY OF US: A New Look at Human Evolution by Lesley Newson & Peter Richerson book review
A STORY OF US: A New Look at Human Evolution by Lesley Newson & Peter Richerson book review
Written by
Kit Gillet
by Lesley Newson & Peter Richerson • Oxford University Press
The journey of the human race has been as much about changes in communities and culture as it has been about our physical evolution. That’s perhaps the key takeaway from the fittingly titled
A Story of Us, which charts humankind’s journey back to seven million years ago.
Through seven stages of human evolution we’ve morphed into the species we are today. However, while physical evolution – our switch to walking upright, larger brains, the ability to use tools – has been fundamental, without social constructs we might not have made it, let alone become the dominant species on the planet. Authors Lesley Newson and Peter Richerson show how, in the early days, group dynamics such as those needed to raise offspring helped us to survive. ‘Fitting into such a group isn’t just a matter of knowing your rank in a dominance hierarchy,’ they write. Large populations could also share a bigger body of cultural information, with this information tending to change more rapidly in such populations, aiding our growth. Better tools eventually followed, as well as art and culture. At the same time, going to war seems to have begun only recently, with archaeological evidence suggesting that warfare was rare before about 8,000 years ago. Interestingly, the authors suggest that early human groups might have been made up of people with different-sized brains, with mixed groups likely faring better; some would be able to learn faster, plan further ahead, remember more, while others would be hardier and less hungry. It’s an intriguing idea.