A powerful, counterintuitive new theory of human nature arguing that our evolutionary success depends on our ability to be friendly--from a pair of trailblazing scientists and New York Times bestselling authors. For most of the approximately 200,000 years that our species has existed, we shared the planet with at least four other types of humans. They were smart, they were strong, and they were inventive. Neanderthals even had the capacity for spoken language. But, one by one, our hominid relatives went extinct. Why did we thrive? In delightfully conversational prose and based on years of his own original research, Brian Hare, professor in the department of evolutionary anthropology and the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University, and his wife Vanessa Woods, a research scientist and award-winning journalist, offer a powerful, elegant new theory called "self-domestication" which suggests that we have succeeded not because we were the smartest or strongest but because we are the friendliest. This explanation flies in the face of conventional wisdom. Since Charles Darwin wrote about "evolutionary fitness," scientists have confused fitness with strength, tactical brilliance, and aggression. But what helped us innovate where other primates did not is our knack for coordinating with and listening to others. We can find common cause and identity with both neighbors and strangers if we see them as "one of us." This ability makes us geniuses at cooperation and innovation and is responsible for all the glories of culture and technology in human history. But this gift for friendliness comes at cost. If we perceive that someone is not "one of us," we are capable of unplugging them from our mental network. Where there would have been empathy and compassion, there is nothing, making us both the most tolerant and the most merciless species on the planet. To counteract the rise of tribalism in all aspects of modern life, Hare and Woods argue, we need to expand our empathy and friendliness to include people who aren't obviously like ourselves. Brian Hare's groundbreaking research was developed in close collaboration with Richard Wrangham and Michael Tomasello, giants in the field of cognitive evolution. Survival of the Friendliest explains both our evolutionary success and our potential for cruelty in one stroke and sheds new light onto everything from genocide and structural inequality to art and innovation.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The daughter of a diplomat disappears on a school field trip—lured into the Santa Monica Mountains and killed in cold blood. Her father denies the possibility of a political motive. There are no signs of struggle and no evidence of sexual assault, leaving psychologist Alex Delaware and his friend LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis to pose the essential question: Why? “Feverish in pace and rich in characters . . . a chilling and irresistible thriller.”—People Working with Daniel Sharavi, a brilliant Israeli police inspector, Delaware and Sturgis soon find themselves ensnared in one of the darkest, most menacing cases of their careers. And when death strikes again, it is Alex who must go undercover, alone, to expose an unthinkable conspiracy of self-righteous brutality and total contempt for human life. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Jonathan Kellerman's Guilt.

Does God really exist? Are science and religion incompatible bedfellows? Surprisingly, Charles Darwin himself, whose theory of evolution did more than anything to ignite these fundamental debates, refrained from commenting in depth about its philosophical implications for fear of creating yet greater furor. But suppose that he did in fact write down his conclusions, and kept them as a secret addendum to his seminal work, Origin of Species. And suppose his beloved wife Emma, a devout Christian, kept her own secret journal detailing their extraordinary life together, and was the only other person to know of this hidden postscript. Survival of the Fittest is a new novel about a modern-day detective search for these two hugely significant works. Its central character, Maurice, is an eccentric London antiquarian book dealer hired by an equally eccentric American billionaire to track down the documents for his world famous collection of original manuscripts. Maurice's complex investigation ranges across England, and involves him in encounters ranging from the criminal to the romantic and the revelatory. Along the way, he discovers the spiritual struggle within the extraordinary Darwin household, and the effects of that same struggle on the creation of the atom bomb and on modern terrorism. As the hunt becomes more and more intense, the question arises of what to do with the findings. Do we really want to know, or will the answer just stir up a hornet's nest?

The author, an explorer and hospital physician, sets out the genetics, diet and exercise that enable humans to perform at their peak. He dissects his own experiences of crossing Antarctica with Ranulph Fiennes, and other endurance tests, to illustrate how the body functions at its best.

Five tribes. One leader. A treacherous journey across three continents in search of a new home. Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Survival of the Fittest is an unforgettable saga of hardship and determination, conflict and passion. Chased by a ruthless enemy, Xhosa leads her People on a grueling journey through unknown and dangerous lands following a path laid out decades before by her father, to be followed only as a last resort. She is joined by other fleeing tribes from Indonesia, China, South Africa, East Africa, and the Levant, all similarly forced by timeless events to find new lives. As they struggle to overcome treachery, lies, tragedy, secrets, and Nature itself, Xhosa is forced to face the reality that her enemy doesn't want to ruin her People. It wants to ruin her. The story is set 850,000 years ago, a time in prehistory when man populated most of Eurasia, where 'survival of the fittest' was not a slogan. It was a destiny. Xhosa's People were from a violent species, one fully capable of addressing the many hardships that threatened their lives except for one: future man, a smarter version of themselves, one destined to obliterate all those who came before.

One night, seven teenagers wake completely alone and in the dark. Their parents are gone, and it seems everyone on earth has disappeared as well. Worse, the electricity is off. Surrounded by darkness, their differences no longer matter; they are the sole survivors of an alien attack and the last hope for humanity. But in the black of night, can they outrun the hulking creatures with the glowing red eyes? Priya is the exotic girl who says what she thinks. Will was a star athlete before the attack. They find Trevor and Aiyana, the twins; Alex and Ricardo, the tough guys; and finally, Lindsey, the innocent. Together, the seven of them are the last humans on earthbut are they really humans at all? They have no idea that the government has known of the incoming alien attack for decades; to prepare they created special children with very special abilities. The chosen seven are part alien and part human, and they exist to fight off the otherworldly forces, threatening to conquer the planet. But with such differing personalities, will the seven be able to put their pride be-hind and work together? They must move beyond the grief of lost friends and family and find the strength to go on; if they dont, the world will die, taken over by monstrous creatures that can smell your fear.