Origins: How The Earth Made Us

"Dartnell’s focus is on how the Earth shaped human history. It is a fascinating look into how much of the apparently contingent developments over the last 200,000 years were in fact governed by Earth systems and geography. What was so special about the rift valley where humanity began? Why did so many civilisations arise near tectonic plate boundaries? Why does the US political map show a shadow of the old continental coastline during the Cretaceous era? It helps make sense of many different aspects of the rise of humanity all over the world."