When we talk about the history of mankind, the main characters are great leaders, migrations and decisive wars. But how did the Earth itself determine our fate? How did it shape us?

Like all species, we are shaped by our environment. Geological forces aided our evolution in East Africa, Greek democracy developed because of mountains, and if you map the party preferences of the United States today, you get the outline of an ancient sea. The history of man is a history of geological and geographic forces, from plate tectonics and climate change to atmospheric and ocean circulation.
What is the relationship between the Himalayas and the Earth's orbit and the formation of the British Isles? Professor Lewis Dartnell takes us billions of years back into our planet's past and shows us our origin story. When we reach the point where history becomes natural science, the vast network of connections of our world today unfolds, which can help us meet the challenges ahead.
From the first cultivated plants to the founding of today's states, Our Origins shows how many ways the Earth has influenced the development of human civilizations.

"Dartnell's story is brilliantly thought out and written. His curiosity and enthusiasm captivates the reader as he presents the picture drawn by the various sciences, including geology, oceanography, meteorology, archaeology, paleontology, political history and geography, in a way that Jared Diamond's classic book Wars, Epidemics, Techniques did." NATURE