Reviews
The Universe Within: Discovering the Common History of Rocks, Planets, and People by Neil Shubin
gormdegamle's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
Gut zu lesen, informativ und unterhaltsam. Nich ganz so überzeugend wie "Der Fisch in uns" vom selben Autor.
wynter's review
5.0
I have a bit of a nerd crush on Shubin, having now read both of his books this year. What I like about his writing, is that it is as smart and informative as it is accessible. I don't know about your average Joe, but I do not have a degree in evolutionary biology, astronomy, or tectonics, so it was sure nice to find an author who can really explain the tricky details. I've read explanations of Carbon 14 dating of fossils in both this book and Nick Lane's Oxygen, and I only really got Shubin. Lane went right over my head, like a supersonic jet.
Compared to Your Inner Fish, the author's first book, The Universe Within has a broader scope. Sometimes Shubin steps aside to weave in relevant stories of great scientists, and it takes a page or two to connect the dots, but the desirable "a-ha" moment never seems to miss the reader. The first few chapters that deal with formation of our planet and life in general, as well as chapter nine that talked about human evolution were of the most interest to me. There are a few theories and topics that I would love to expand my knowledge on a little further: the great conveyor belt of the bedrock, life in pre-historic Antarctic, a single male ancestor of all Native American people, and the mysterious civilization of Natufians. Thankfully, the book also contains a fascinating and very extensive section with notes and further reading suggestions, with the help of which I have already added several other scientific works to my shelves.
I cannot wait to see what else Mr. Shubin publishes.
Compared to Your Inner Fish, the author's first book, The Universe Within has a broader scope. Sometimes Shubin steps aside to weave in relevant stories of great scientists, and it takes a page or two to connect the dots, but the desirable "a-ha" moment never seems to miss the reader. The first few chapters that deal with formation of our planet and life in general, as well as chapter nine that talked about human evolution were of the most interest to me. There are a few theories and topics that I would love to expand my knowledge on a little further: the great conveyor belt of the bedrock, life in pre-historic Antarctic, a single male ancestor of all Native American people, and the mysterious civilization of Natufians. Thankfully, the book also contains a fascinating and very extensive section with notes and further reading suggestions, with the help of which I have already added several other scientific works to my shelves.
I cannot wait to see what else Mr. Shubin publishes.
miocyon's review
2.0
Not nearly as good as his first book, Your Inner Fish. Here he tried to link humanity to the history of the entire universe. A noble goal, but he feels out of his element, and the information he gives on astronomy and geology are at best perfunctory and at worst wrong. I was hoping to use this for my general science non-majors class, but other than a few select passages, it's not as good as other things out there.
snowbenton's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook and I don't know if it was the background-noise-voice of the narrator or Shubin's text itself, but I had the hardest time paying attention to this. I just finished Bill Nye's book on evolution and kept comparing this to that -- and Shubin's just fell flat for me. Some of the facts he shared were interesting and ones I hadn't known, but overall the book lacked the joie de vivre I like in my science books.
j_hall85's review against another edition
3.0
Left me wanted more questions answered. Near the end, the author brought up questions and points I found myself wanted answered but never did. Otherwise, an enjoyable educational read.
shawnwhy's review
4.0
need to re-read, kind of a comprehensive history of geology and how the make up of the planet and planets effects life,
msaari's review against another edition
4.0
It is possible to see 14 billion years of history in our bodies. Paleontologist Neil Shubin explains how in this easy-to-follow book. This is a good read: not narrow-minded, but very open to all sorts of ideas. Shubin moves quickly from topic to topic, and covers lots of interesting ideas in this very good popular science book.
lauren_endnotes's review against another edition
5.0
Not perfect, but pretty darn good. Rounded up to a full 5 stars because it was so full of memorable tidbits. Shubin may be a paleontologist, but you'll learn about astronomy, physics, microbiology, social sciences... And so many things in between. Accessible science writing that offers a solid starting point to many additional disciplines.