PANDORA'S SEED

InTheJourneyofMan,renownedgeneticistandanthropologistSpencerWellstracedhumanevolutionbacktoourearliestancestors,creatingaremarkableandreadablemapofourdistantpast.Now,inhisthrillingnewbook,heexaminesourculturalinheritanceinordertofindtheturningpointthatledustothepathweareontoday,onehebelieveswemustveerfrominordertosurvive.Pandora’sSeedtakesusonapowerfulandprovocativeglobe-trottingtourofhumanhistory,backtoaseminaleventroughlytenthousandyearsago,whenourspeciesmadearadicalshiftinitswayoflife:Webecamefarmersratherthanhunter-gatherers,settinginmotionamomentouschainofeventsthatcouldnothavebeenforeseenatthetime.Althoughthisdecisiontocontrolourownfoodsupplyiswhatpropelledusintothemodernworld,Wellsdemonstrates—usingthelatestgeneticandanthropologicaldata—thatsuchadramaticshiftinlifestylehadadownsidethatwe’reonlynowbeginningtorecognize.Growinggraincropsultimatelymadehumansmoresedentaryandunhealthyandmadetheplanetmorecrowded.Theexpandingpopulationandtheneedtoapportionlimitedresourcessuchaswatercreatedhierarchiesandinequalities.Thedesiretocontrol—andnolongercooperatewith—naturealteredtheconceptofreligion,makingdeitiesfewerandmoreinfluential,foreshadowingtoday’sfanaticisms.Theproximityofhumansandanimalsbreddiseasesthatmetastasizedovertime.Freedomofmovementandchoicewerereplacedbyapressuretoworkthatistheforebearoftheanxietyanddepressionmillionsfeeltoday.Wellsoffersahopefulprescriptionforalteringalifetowhichwewerealwaysillsuited,recommendingthatwechangeourprioritiesandself-destructiveappetitesbeforeit’stoolate.Arivetingandaccessiblescientificdetectivestory,Pandora’sSeedisaneye-openingbookforanyonefascinatedbythepastandconcernedaboutthefuture.