Alien scientists create a new human race—and keep them as sheltered pets: “It’s time to discover Donald Moffitt” (Greg Bear). After intercepting a message from Earth, Nar scientists have learned the secret of human life. The alien species understands everything about human technology and culture and uses this knowledge to build on each breakthrough until it succeeds in re-creating humans. Now they encourage their “pets” to evolve within the alien community and learn the mysteries of the galaxy, but prohibit any knowledge of the planet Earth itself. Bram has always dreamed of traveling to the forbidden planet. Although Earth is millions of miles away, the bioengineer is determined to discover the truth about his species and the land that has been kept a secret his whole life. Bram must discover a way to unveil the truth and see the homeland he has been denied.

"Some have argued that life began in the chemical-rich seas of the early Earth, the famous primordial soup, while others are convinced that life began in strange vents pumping hot water out of the sea floor, where the chemical reactions that sustain living cells could get started. Or perhaps life began in volcanic ponds on land, or in meteorite impact zones, or even in beds of clay. Each idea has attracted staunch believers who promote it with an almost religious fervor. But the story of life's origins is more than this: it is a story that takes in some of the greatest discoveries in modern biology, from cells to DNA, and evolution to life's family tree. This book is the first full history of the scientists who struggled to explain one of the greatest mysteries of all: how and why life began"--

Contacts with natives noted; p.22; Moreton Bay natives used to locate runaways; p.24; Nasal septum pierced, two joints of little finger left hand removed; manufacture of nets and baskets; fishing; shelters; duels described; p.31; Bathurst Island; tattoos, painted, scarification, physical appearance; clothing; weapons; p.34; Grave in detail; p.253; Sunstroke cure; p.295; Cannibalism; p.313; Gathering of tribes for Bunnia [bunya] season; p.339; Childrens games with bows and arrows.

Since the earliest days of warfare, military operations have followed a predictable formula: after a decisive battle, an army must pursue the enemy and destroy its organization in order to achieve a victorious campaign. But by the mid-19th century, the emergence of massive armies and advanced weaponry - and the concomitant decline in the effectiveness of cavalry - had diminished the practicality of pursuit, producing campaigns that bogged down short of decisive victory. Great battles had become curiously indecisive, decisive campaigns virtually impossible.

The fifteen stages from Ramepithecus to Homo sapiens sapiens-the story of human evolution. 'Sensing rather than seeing the attack, Yellowtip swung to face Beta, still grasping the branch. At full pelt Beta fell directly onto the straight point of the stick. With little more than a grunt, he wrenched himself back, then fell on the ground twitching and was still... Yellowtip drew himself erect, stick in hand. He had not deliberately challenged Beta but, by destroying him, he should replace him in the hierarchy, though young and inexperienced. Tensely, he stared down at each male in turn, inviting challenge. One by one, they struggled to return his gaze, then dropped their eyes and turned aside. This was triumph-it felt glorious.' Yellowtip's accidental discovery of weaponry provides the basis for the first chronicle in Glenorchy McBride's personal take on the history of evolution. Like many great discoveries over the history of time, some of the fifteen steps on the long road from Ramepithecus to Homo sapiens sapiens were serendipitous and some the result of trial and error, but all are described with wit and compassion in this entertaining and thought-provoking book. We squat with Fireboy as he anxiously nurtures the first flickering embers and run with Ton and his beloved wolf-cub. We sit at Roo's feet as she shares her dreams of the first totem spirit; we meet the first artists, the first traders, the first herders and, finally, the Sower of seeds, the visionary who led her people towards our own modern agriculture. Drawing on his long and distinguished career as an internationally recognised ethologist, Glenorchy McBride illustrates each of his chronicles with detailed scientific background material. The Genesis Chronicles present a picture of the history of evolution, a picture which prompts McBride to ask whether our evolution has fitted us for the world we have created or whether we are irredeemably flawed by our ancestral experiences.