Why do we look the way we do? What does the human hand have in common with the wing of a fly? Are breasts, sweat
glands, and scales connected in some way? To better understand the inner workings of our bodies and to trace the
origins of many of today's most common diseases, we have to turn to unexpected sources: worms, flies, and even
fish.
Neil Shubin, a leading paleontologist and professor of anatomy who discovered Tiktaalik--the "missing link"
that made headlines around the world in April 2006--tells the story of evolution by tracing the organs of the human
body back millions of years, long before the first creatures walked the earth. By examining fossils and DNA, Shubin
shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our head is organized like that of a long-extinct jawless
fish, and major parts of our genome look and function like those of worms and bacteria.
Shubin makes us see ourselves and our world in a completely new light. Your Inner Fish is science writing at its
finest--enlightening, accessible, and told with irresistible enthusiasm.