If you’ve ever joined us for a Science in the Pub night at Shanti Café, you’ll know how fascinating our local scientists can be. One of those speakers, Professor Madeleine Beekman, has just released her new book The Origin of Language and we’re lucky enough to have copies available for sale at the C4 Environment Centre.
Professor Beekman, a C4 member, is well known for her work as an evolutionary biologist. At her recent talk, she had us all leaning forward, captivated by the way she connects the dots between evolution, human survival, and something we often take for granted: our ability to speak.
In Professor Beekman’s words:
“I started working on this book in an attempt to understand how evolution really works. Because my aim was to write a book for a general audience, I decided to use us, humans, as my framework. To my surprise I so bumped into a new explanation for how and why we came to speak. We became what we are through a series of mistakes, genetic or otherwise, that each time could have been the end of our lineage. Yet, we persevered and here we are: the most dominant force alive today. It may come as a surprise that it all started with the need to look after extremely underbaked infants. If it weren’t for our needy babies, we would not have become what we are today.”
It’s exactly this mix of science, storytelling, and surprising discoveries that makes the book such an engaging read. So, just like Bob and this Mission Beach tourist, pop into the C4 Environment Centre and grab a copy!
