Publisher Description
World renowned scientist Carl Sagan and acclaimed author Ann Druyan have written a Roots for the human species, a lucid and riveting account of how humans got to be the way we are. It shows with humor and drama that many of our key traits--self-awareness, technology, family ties, submission to authority, hatred for those a little different from ourselves, reason, and ethics--are rooted in the deep past, and illuminated by our kinship with other animals.
Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a triumph of popular science.
Introductory music from the original score for COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey composed by Alan Silvestri, used with permission from Cosmos Studios, Inc. and Chappers Music. All rights reserved. Special thanks to Fuzzy Planets, Inc.
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“A BIG book about BIG questions…crack science-writing for the masses.”
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Kirkus Reviews
About the Authors
Carl Sagan (1934–1996) was professor of astronomy and space sciences and director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. He played a leading role in the Mariner, Viking, and Voyager spacecraft expeditions, for which he received the NASA medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. He received the Pulitzer Prize and the highest awards of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation, as well as many other awards for his contributions to science, literature, education, and the preservation of the environment. His book Cosmos, the companion book to his Emmy– and Peabody Award–winning television series of the same name, was a #1 New York Times bestseller and the bestselling science book ever published in the English language, and his bestselling novel Contact was turned into a major motion picture.
Ann Druyan is an author, writer, and television producer. She was the co-author with Sagan of the New York Times bestseller Comet and was co-writer with him of the Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. She also served as creative director of NASA’s Voyager Interstellar Message Project, designing music, images, and ideas for possible alien civilizations which was placed aboard the Voyager 1 and 2 interstellar spacecraft. She has been the recipient of several awards, including the title of “Humanist Laureate” by the International Academy of Humanism. The asterooid 4970 Druyan was named after her.
About the Narrators
Nick Sagan is an author
and Hollywood writer, producing screenplays and television scripts. He is the
son of astronomer Carl Sagan. He lives in Ithaca, New York.
Ann Druyan is an author, writer, and television producer. She was the co-author with Sagan of the New York Times bestseller Comet and was co-writer with him of the Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. She also served as creative director of NASA’s Voyager Interstellar Message Project, designing music, images, and ideas for possible alien civilizations which was placed aboard the Voyager 1 and 2 interstellar spacecraft. She has been the recipient of several awards, including the title of “Humanist Laureate” by the International Academy of Humanism. The asterooid 4970 Druyan was named after her.