Origins. Plate tectonics, climate, ocean currents, and other ways to create humanity

We often ponder the role of individuals in history, revolutions, and inventions, but rarely consider the role that the natural environment has played in the biography of our species: climate, relief, biodiversity. The author tracks our history from the perspectives of geology, geography, anthropology, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and history. But what makes this book truly special is how these disciplines intertwine in a clear, logical, and interesting way. Lewis Dartnell's research is full of examples of Earth's influence on human civilization: geological processes pushed human evolution in East Africa, democracy emerged in Ancient Greece thanks to the abundance of mountainous landscapes, and the boundaries of the ancient sea still determine voter behavior in the USA.