He uses his first-hand experience of being on site in Ethiopia to detail the art, science, joys and challenges of fossil-hunting in a landscape as turbulent and unpredictable as the badlands of the Afar Depression in Ethiopia. “In Fossil Men, Kermit Pattison takes us on a dazzling journey into deep geological time to explore the distant roots of humankind…Pattison combines his meticulously researched examination of the science of ancient humans with a visceral and penetrating tale of the intrigue, academic rivalry, pathological jealousy and intellectual inertia that has helped shape the evolution of scientific paradigms around human origins. Next year, they’ll be getting a photocopy of Pattison’s chapter.” This is my research specialty (albeit with dinosaurs), but one I struggle to explain to my undergraduates. And to my amazement, he explains in clear and compelling prose how scientists build family trees of ancient species. He breezes through the biomechanics of how chimps clamber and humans walk. He describes the intricacies of the human wrist and foot with the skill of a poet. In this, he is every bit as good as the best scientist-writers.

This is a function of Pattison’s uncanny ability to write evocatively about science. “The story lines border on the insane…Despite ample opportunity, ‘Fossil Men’ never devolves into gonzo journalism. “In ‘Fossil Men,’ Pattison weaves the multiple intrigues of science, politics, and personalities into a masterly structured tale…the book leaves readers with a new sense of wonder at the origins of humankind.” “A work of staggering depth that brings us into the search for the oldest human.”

Fossil men by kermit pattison