Paleofantasy

Theories about how our ancestors lived - and why we should emulate them - are often based on pseudoscience and speculation rather than actual research. Taking us to the cutting edge of biology, Marlene Zuk explains that evolution can work faster than was previously realised, meaning that we are not biologically the same as our caveman ancestors. Zuk shows how our visions of an ideal evolutionary past in which we ate, lived and reproduced as we were "meant to" can lead us astray and distract us from more interesting considerations of how we differ from our forebears. Along the way, she debunks the caveman diet, discusses whether we're really designed to run barefoot and considers modern-day courtship and child-rearing practices in the context of how our ancestors lived.