The History of Our Evolution

Sometimes, we all just need to read a book that answers the question of “how did we get here.” Other times, it’s a question of how in the world has humanity not destroyed the world five times over by now. I’m still surprised that half the US hasn’t gone up in flames with people announcing the sex f their almost babies. Anyway, the answers to both those questions and more are answered in Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.

On top of explaining some of the important advances in human evolution, such as the scam that was the Agricultural Revolution, it also asks questions that I don’t think many people think about. Such as assuming imperialism is bad, is there really any way of getting rid of the effects, or are we just doomed to live with it? How money came about is still super confusing to me, but it is still interesting to me how it came about. I still don’t understand lots of things, but it was really interesting reading some thoughts about the last couple of thousands of years that the human species have been on the earth. If you like history of any kind, I’m positive you’ll love this book.

Bad, Science!

As we look toward the future, we must also look to that past to make sure that we do no back the same mistakes, especially when we talk about it from an ethical perspective. We do not want to cause harm, but we also want people to understand what we are saying as scientists, or at least that is what I was always told. Then I bumbled my way into reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

This is one of the stories of science going wrong. As someone involved in science, I believe that these are things that must be discussed to not happen again. The story starts with how the first-ever human cell line was discovered and then is a train wreck from there. This book goes into the African American population’s distrust of the health care system, which stems from racism and lack of science literacy. It takes this abstract idea that most people have about the ethics behind science and then makes it much more real by adding a face. If you are interested in science in any way, I would consider this a must-read. We have to learn from the past mistakes to make significant innovations in the future.

The Wall Between Us

As the new addition in the genre of “cute girls doing not so cute girl things,” there is Princess Principal. It’s a historical-ish drama taking place in what could be an alternate Berlin Wall situation taking place in England. The country has been torn apart into a monarchy and a commonwealth. There to make sure the country as a whole does not get overrun by those that what to ruin in are a group of young spies. They are all amazing, well written, and have great chemistry with one another. The story, for the most part, is told out of order, but one can get the gist and see how much they care about one another. It’s a great show that needs a sequel. I NEED to know what happens next. There was such a huge cliffhanger.

History can be Funny

Ever wanted to watch history, especially World War II, without feeling sad about it. I would suggest watching Hetalia. It is a really cute show, as in five minutes a piece, where history is told through the personified characters of each country. I would recommend watching this anime in the English dub because of the ability to hear the different characters accents. While this is a good show, I will admit that it gets a bit ridiculous and having nothing to do with history, but I did like the first two “subacts” so to say. And the narrator is so sassy. I love her. Definitely check it out if you like.

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