The First Human: The Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors (edition 2007)

by Ann Gibbons

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In this dynamic account, award-winning science writer Ann Gibbons chronicles an extraordinary quest to answer the most primal of questions: When and where was the dawn of humankind?Following four intensely competitive international teams of scientists in a heated race to find the “missing link”–the fossil of the earliest human ancestor–Gibbons ventures to Africa, where she encounters a fascinating array of fossil hunters: Tim White, the irreverent Californian who discovered the partial skeleton of a primate that lived 4.4 million years ago in Ethiopia; French paleontologist Michel Brunet, who uncovers a skull in Chad that could date the beginnings of humankind to seven million years ago; and two other groups–one led by zoologist Meave Leakey, the other by British geologist Martin Pickford and his French paleontologist partner, Brigitte Senut–who enter the race with landmark discoveries of their own. Through scrupulous research and vivid first-person reporting, The First Human reveals the perils and the promises of fossil hunting on a grand competitive scale.… (more)

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Member:	KennyHBCA
Title:	The First Human: The Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors
Authors:	Ann Gibbons
Info:	Anchor (2007), Paperback, 336 pages
Collections:	Your library
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The First Human: The Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors by Ann Gibbons

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As the subtitle indicates, this was indeed a race. One wonders what these men and women might have achieved if they had worked together instead of with intense rivalries. The search to solve the mystery of human evolution is a fascinating subject and science writer Gibbons' writing retains that engrossing quality while being easily understood. Although discoveries continue and the picture of human evolution is becoming clearer, there is still no definitive answer. (

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VivienneR | Jul 16, 2022 |

Really enjoyed this account of the search for our earliest ancestors and the cutthroat world of paleontology. Just the right mix of science and anecdote involving the often grim battles for access to archeological sites in Africa. (

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Matt_B | Feb 17, 2020 |

A very interesting look at some of the most important hominid fossil discoveries of the last 15 years, and the paleoanthropologists who discovered them. Ann Gibbons is a correspondent for Science magazine, and has covered human evolution for more than a decade. She does a fantastic job in this book of writing about evolution in a highly accurate, easy-to-read manner, without overly simplifying the topic for a mainstream audience.

It is rare for an evolution book to go into detail about the turmoil amongst scientists, and Gibbons does so in an even handed way. We get to hear about the dangers involved in the hunt for the common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees, in regions subject to days-long sandstorms, bandits, and civil war. You also see how basic human emotions (ambition! jealousy!) and politics can interfere with the progression of science, especially in such a sensitive scientific topic. In fact, we almost hear more about the tensions in the field than the actual fossils themselves, which would be my only major complaint. (

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abergsman | Mar 20, 2018 |

This book is a fascinating look into the world of modern Archaeology. The author gives a good summary of recent finds and the ages/characteristics of each, as well as a window on the situation of competition and rivalry among archaeologists.After reading this overview, it is possible to read further on each find - I am eager to read _Lucy's Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins_ by Dr. Donald Johanson, which is on our New Nonfiction bookshelf at the library. (

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wunschie | Mar 26, 2010 |

This book focuses on the politics of paleoanthropologists. Although you do learn somethings about the science itself, there's more about the fighting, and struggles to see who can top who. (

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DesertOwl | Nov 21, 2008 |

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added by Percevan | editAbout.com: Archaeology, K. Kris Hirst

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Ann Gibbons	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Raudman, Renee	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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LA Times Book Prize (Finalist – Science & Technology – 2006)

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Australopithecus bahrelghazali

History of Ethiopia

List of human evolution fossils

▾Book descriptions

In this dynamic account, award-winning science writer Ann Gibbons chronicles an extraordinary quest to answer the most primal of questions: When and where was the dawn of humankind?Following four intensely competitive international teams of scientists in a heated race to find the “missing link”–the fossil of the earliest human ancestor–Gibbons ventures to Africa, where she encounters a fascinating array of fossil hunters: Tim White, the irreverent Californian who discovered the partial skeleton of a primate that lived 4.4 million years ago in Ethiopia; French paleontologist Michel Brunet, who uncovers a skull in Chad that could date the beginnings of humankind to seven million years ago; and two other groups–one led by zoologist Meave Leakey, the other by British geologist Martin Pickford and his French paleontologist partner, Brigitte Senut–who enter the race with landmark discoveries of their own. Through scrupulous research and vivid first-person reporting, The First Human reveals the perils and the promises of fossil hunting on a grand competitive scale.

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