Bones of Contention ─ Controversies in the Search for Human Origins

Bones of Contention is a behind-the-scenes look at the search for human origins.
Analyzing how the biases and preconceptions of paleoanthropologists shaped their work,
Roger Lewin's detective stories about the discovery of Neanderthal Man, the Taung Child,
Lucy, and other major fossils provide insight into this most subjective of scientific endeavors.
The new afterword looks at ways in which paleoanthropology, while becoming more scientific
in many ways, remains contentious.

"[An] un-put-downable book."--John Gribbon, Times Educational Supplement

"Not just another 'stones and bones' account of human evolution. It is Lewin's thesis, amply
demonstrated, that paleoanthropology is the most subjective of sciences because it engages
the emotions of virtually everyone; and since the evidence is scrappy, interpretation is
everything. . . . A splendid, stirring, and eye-opening account, to be devoured."--Kirkus
Reviews, starred review

"[Lewin shows] 'how very unscientific the process of scientific inquiry can be.'. . . Bones of
Contention is . . . serious intellectual history."--Edward Dolnick, Wall Street
Journal

"[Lewin] documents his thesis in persuasive detail. . . . The reader is carried along by the
power of Mr. Lewin's reporting."--Robert Wright, New York Times Book Review