Almost Chimpanzee: Searching for What Makes Us Human, in Rainforests, Labs, Sanctuaries, and Zoos

Overview

In the autumn of 2005, a band of researchers cracked the code of the chimpanzee genome and provided a startling new window into the differences between humans and our closest primate cousins. For the past several years, acclaimed Science reporter Jon Cohen has been following the DNA hunt, as well as eye-opening new studies in ape communication, human evolution, disease, diet, and more. In Almost Chimpanzee , Cohen invites us on a captivating scientific journey, taking us behind the scenes in cutting edge genetics labs, rain forests in Uganda, sanctuaries in lowa, experimental enclaves in Japan, even the Detroit Zoo. Along the way, he ferries fresh chimp sperm for a time-sensitive analysis, gets greeted by pant-hoots and chimp feces, and investigates an audacious attempt to breed a humanzee. Cohen offers a fresh and often frankly humorous insider's tour of the latest research, which promises to lead to everything from insights about the unique ways our bodies work to shedding light on stubborn human-only problems, ranging from infertility and asthma to speech disorders. And in the end, Cohen explains why it's time to move on from Jane Goodall's plea that we focus on how the two species are alike and turns to examining why our differences matter in vital ways - for understanding humans and for increasing the chances to save the endangered chimpanzee.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jon Cohen
Publisher:   Times Books
Imprint:   Times Books
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 3.30cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.612kg
ISBN:  

9780805083071

ISBN 10:   0805083073
Pages:   384
Publication Date:   07 October 2010
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock at warehouse  
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Reviews

<p>From The New York Times Book Review <p> [An] engrossing new book . . .like something out of Beckett, or maybe the Marx Brothers. . .deeply skeptical. &#8212;Jennifer Schuessler<p>From Publishers Weekly<p>How are we different from chimps? That&#8217;s the question that Cohen ( Shots in the Dark) sets out to answer in his absorbing account of current chimpanzee research. Too often, Cohen argues, scientists have focused on the similarity between the two species, when it is in fact an understanding of our differences that can reveal what, exactly, it means to be human. Cohen&#8217;s survey spans investigations into the chimp genome, brain, and physiognomy, with a fascinating chapter on chimp sex (one captive female chimp was observed flipping through Playgirl, sometimes using a vacuum cleaner hose for stimulation ) and a colorful portrait of Richard Lynch Garner, a 19th-century adventurer who lived in a cage in a jungle for 112 days, studying and recording chimp and gorilla langu

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