“Enigma” is the riddle Oedipus had to solve in order to free Thebes from the sphinx that daily devoured its citizens. Arsuaga uses this title as a metaphor for evolution. The mechanisms of the evolution of species are an enigma, and the scientist who best solved this puzzle was Darwin. But did he solve it completely? Although much research has confirmed Darwin’s findings, many doubts still remain. Is there intention in the evolution of species? Or is it all a game of chance and inevitability?
From his vantage point as a paleontologist, the author explains step by step the history of evolution as a compelling tale, without ever sacrificing scientific rigor. Only a person with immense narrative skill could create a book so fascinating, which manages to illuminate the lay audience without ever underestimating it.
Italy: Feltrinelli
“Enigma” is the riddle Oedipus had to solve in order to free Thebes from the sphinx that daily devoured its citizens. Arsuaga uses this title as a metaphor for evolution. The mechanisms of the evolution of species are an enigma, and the scientist who best solved this puzzle was Darwin. But did he solve it completely? Although much research has confirmed Darwin’s findings, many doubts still remain. Is there intention in the evolution of species? Or is it all a game of chance and inevitability?
From his vantage point as a paleontologist, the author explains step by step the history of evolution as a compelling tale, without ever sacrificing scientific rigor. Only a person with immense narrative skill could create a book so fascinating, which manages to illuminate the lay audience without ever underestimating it.
Italy: Feltrinelli
Consciousness Told From A Sapiens To A Neanderthal | Alfaguara, 2024
On the Other Side of the Fog | Destino/Planeta, 2024; Suma/PRH, 2005
Our Body: Seven Million Years of Evolution | Destino/Planeta, 2023
Death Told By A Sapiens To A Neanderthal | Alfaguara/PRH, 2022
Life Told By A Sapiens To A Neanderthal | Alfaguara/PRH, 2020
Life, the Great Story | Destino/Planeta, 2019
The Neanderthal’s Necklace | Destino, 2019 / Temas de Hoy, 1999
Amalur. The Atom in the Mind | Destino/Planeta, 2019
The Chosen Species | Destino, 2019 / Temas de Hoy, 1997
The Human Signature | Debate/Planeta, 2013
The First Journey of Our Life | Temas de Hoy/Planeta, 2012
A Brief History of Earth | Temas de hoy, 2010
Mr. Darwin's Clock | Temas de Hoy/Planeta, 2009
My First Prehistory Book. When the World Was Just a Child | Espasa, 2008
The Human Saga | Edaf, 2007
On the Other Side of the Fog | Suma/PRH, 2005
The World of Atapuerca | Plaza & Janés/PRH, 2004
The Aborigines. Feeding and Human Evolution | RBA, 2002