NUESTRO CUERPO

Arsuaga at his absolute best. The first book on the evolution of human anatomy that brings together science and art.

In the Prado Museum, a scientist takes in the sculpture of Diadúmeno by Polykleitos; in the sculpture's anatomy, one can read an evolutionary history that goes back seven million years. In the adjoining room is another, later sculpture that shows the nude figure of the Venus of the Dolphin, the Hellenistic canon of feminine beauty. The scientist observes the differences between the two and considers their meanings. From the observation of the human body through art, and his knowledge as a palaeontologist, Juan Luis Arsuaga invites us to discover, in a straightforward and entertaining way, the wonders that make up the human body, and how and why our anatomy has evolved over the centuries. With his lucid, funny, and ingenious gaze, we travel to the past to get closer to that great unknown: our body. Because each and every one of its parts is a prodigy of evolution. Dr. Arsuaga (Madrid, 1954) is a Professor of Paleontology at the Universidad Complutense of Madrid and Director of the Human Evolution and Behavior Institute (UCM-ISCIII). He is a member of the American National Academy of Sciences, Member of the Musée de l'Homme of Paris and vice-president of the Comission of Human Paleontology of the International Union Quaternary Research., Visiting Professor at the University College of London and co-director of excavations at Sierra de Atapuerca (WorldHeritage Site). He is the recipient of many national and international awards, among which the renowned Príncipe de Asturias in 1997. Dr. Arsuaga is a regular contributor to Nature, Science, American Journal of Physical Anthropology and editor of the Journal of Human Evolution as well as a regular lecturer at the universities of London, Cambridge, Berkeley, New York, Tel Aviv, Zurich, among others.