“Built on Bones: 15,000 Years of Urban Life and Death” by Brenna Hassett (Bloomsbury, 2017)

No two anthropological books are alike: they may discuss the various species of hominid and how Homo sapiens has adapted and evolved over time, but each anthropologist has her or his own point of view and angle, with prevailing theories and their own evidence to back it up. Built on Bones is the fascinating story of the history of humanity from nomadic hunters, to sedentary farmers, to village dwellers, and eventually city inhabitants as told through the bones of the dead.

Bones tell a story: from the marks and scorings on them, to what shape the entire bone in, to what the skeleton is like, what position and shape it is in, to whether it’s alone or part of a group. Teeth are little gems of wisdom, as unlike other bones, they remain relatively unchanged throughout our lives, once the adult teeth come in. Each angle of wear and tear, the cuts and grooves, the degradation in certain areas all come together to tell the type of life the tooth owner had.

Bioarcheologist Brenna Hassett, drawing on her own fieldwork in Africa, Asia and the Mediterranean, constantly citing first-hand evidence and experience, reveals some incredible findings about humanity over time as it made the change to farmer and the move into hamlets, towns and eventually cities, and what a toll this has had on the human skeleton. Fascinating insights are offered, like hunters and gathers having larger periods of time between offspring because it was harder to carry more than one child of a young age and be nomadic. What effect starting to live close to animals had, as well as being in close proximity to large groups of people, covering the subjects of plague and disease.

Built on Bones ends on an interesting question: was it worth it? How much has humanity sacrificed in coming together to form these towns and cities? There are many points for and against, but only the reader, by the end of the book, will be able to make a truly informed opinion.

Originally written on July 23, 2017 ©Alex C. Telander.

To purchase a copy of Built on Bones from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.

Ostium Mini Episode Season 1 Musicology Part Two

The second of a two-part series on the musicology of Ostium Season 1, where Alex C. Telander sits down with Chris Fletcher – the voice of Jake and the composer behind the music – and talks about how the music for Ostium started, how he works, what some of his influences are, and much more.

Be sure to listen for info about Ostium at Podcon.

Ostium now has a merchandise store, check it out.

If you want more Ostium, why not become a patron on our Patreon page, where for just $2 a month you’ll get access to an exclusive brand new mini episode every two weeks (and this includes all through the offseason); and during the regular season of the show you’ll get access to new episodes a full week before everyone else. Alternatively, you could also make a one-time donation and help support Ostium on our website, www.ostiumpodcast.com.

And if you wouldn’t mind leaving Ostium a review on whatever app or program you use to listen to podcasts and that way people can see what you’re saying to convince them to listen to Ostium.

Thanks for listening and see you in two weeks.

Aliens: The World’s Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterrestrial Life” by Jim Al-Khalili (Picador, 2017)

We live in an incredible age. It’s seems like almost each week now new constellations of exoplanets are being found, while the number of Goldilocks-zone Earth-like planets grows in number. The possibilities of alien life existing in the universe seems more realistic than ever.

In Aliens, Jim Al-Khalili brings together a collection of articles from a wide range of authors with varied science backgrounds: NASA planetary scientists, cosmologists, geneticists, astrophysicists and many more, bringing the latest theories and scientific research on the subject of alien life and the many permutations relating to it. Beginning with the basics, the book explores the idea that if alien life exits, where is it most likely to be found, ranging from the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, to Alpha Centauri and other far-flung galaxies. What will space travel be like in the near future and the distant future? What are the technologies being currently worked on for space travel? With the blossoming subject matter of artificial intelligence, how useful and necessary will AI be in the future? And will it one day be possible for robots to take over humans?

For a short book, there’s a lot packed into this volume that opens the reader’s mind to so many possibilities on a variety of subjects all tying in with the belief that there may be little green men out there. With the article format, it’s a handy book to flip through, read on the go, or quickly gobble up from start to finish.

Originally written on July 23, 2017 ©Alex C. Telander.

To purchase a copy of Aliens from Amazon, and help support BookBanter, click HERE.

 

Ostium Mini Episode: Season One Musicology Part 1

The first of a two-part series on the musicology of Ostium Season 1, where Alex C. Telander sits down with Chris Fletcher – the voice of Jake and the composer behind the music – and talks about how the music for Ostium started, how he works, what some of his influences are, and much more.

Ostium now has a merchandise store, check it out.

If you want more Ostium, why not become a patron on our Patreon page, where for just $2 a month you’ll get access to an exclusive brand new mini episode every two weeks (and this includes all through the offseason); and during the regular season of the show you’ll get access to new episodes a full week before everyone else. Alternatively, you could also make a one-time donation and help support Ostium on our website.

And if you wouldn’t mind leaving Ostium a review on whatever app or program you use to listen to podcasts and that way people can see what you’re saying to convince them to listen to Ostium.

Thanks for listening and see you in two weeks.