Pat Shipman

The Invaders is written by a scientist and he presents his theory how Neanderthals, and many other species, went extinct. The subtitle and beautiful cover art give it away but there is much more to the book. The theory is only described in about the last 15%, most of the book is background information on what and how we know about Neanderthals and humans in Europe in the period in question, from about 50,000bp to 20,000bp. The writing can be technical, but not impossible and is made up for show more by the writers enthusiasm and deep thinking. I really did feel transported back in time and part of a real scientific debate on the cutting edge. show less

The author undertakes to detail ways in which modern humans, together with their dogs, were the primary reason for extinction of the Neandertals. She doesn't pretend this is mainstream thought; she explains the reasons why she believes the current mainstream theory of assimilation and/or climate change is inaccurate. She doesn't claim modern humans slayed the Neandertals (or at least, not wholesale; she did present some information of wounds consistent with human tools); instead, she show more believes they out competed the Neandertals, presenting evidence that they used the same food sources. She also discusses the redating project on some of the old radiometric dates, using techniques unknown at the time those dates were first established to get a more calibrated date, and places the date of extinction somewhat earlier than current thinking. It was well written, interesting, and not too long. Did she convince me? I withhold judgment. Not being a paleontologist, I must either take it at face value that she is giving me the most accurate information, or wait until I can verify or dismiss from other reputable sources. As a scientist, I choose the second path. Well worth a read as long as you are able to maintain some level of doubt until confirmation is achieved. show less

Biography of Eugene Dubois who decided that the 'missing link' would be found in Indonesia, went there, and actually found it - the first fossil Homo Erectus. Written with much made-up detailed dialogue (disconcerting & distracting) - but otherwise a great read.
Read April 2007

In 1903, Consul the chimpanzee performed at the Folies Bergère; he appeared in evening dress, played the piano, rode a bicycle, poured himself a drink, ate a meal with a knife and fork, undressed, stood on his head, and somersaulted into bed. (I can’t do a lot of those things. I’ll let you figure out which). He must have made quite an impression on Folies audiences (who, after all, probably hadn’t come there to see a chimp, even a disrobing one) because 30 years later an African show more fossil of a creature thought to be ancestral to chimpanzees received the name Proconsul africanus from the discoverer.


Alan Walker is a vertebrate paleontologist; Pat Shipman is his wife and a talented author; together they produced The Ape in the Tree. Shipman (who I am embarrassed to admit I once thought was male) is the author of the excellent Taking Wing, about Archaeopteryx; The Ape in the Tree is a similar thorough treatment of the history of Proconsul paleontology, the animal’s autecology, and its systematic position. There’s considerable technical detail, including diagrams of the width of the last caudal vertebrae (to aid in understanding how the animal bent to feed) and histograms of body mass based on femur length (to decide how many species of Proconsul existed. For those who might be interested in such things, the title is a pun; Proconsul is in the evolutionary “tree”, and the best fossils were found in, literally, a tree (the fossilized stump of a hollow tree that accumulated various animal remains). No weaknesses I noted; highly recommended. show less