"Not only have you been lucky enough to be attached since time immemorial to a favored evolutionary line, but you have also been extremely- make that m...
In terms of adaptability, humans are pretty amazingly useless.
~ Bill Bryson ~
Photo by Ákos Szabó
Photo by Ian Turnell
In terms of adaptability, humans are pretty amazingly useless.
More Bill Bryson quotes
"The question that naturally occurs is “What would it be like if a star exploded nearby?” Our nearest stellar neighbor, as we have seen, is Alpha Centa...
"Every atom you possess has almost certainly passed through several stars and been part of millions of organisms on its way to becoming you. We are eac...
"If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here-and by 'we' I mean every living thing. To attain any kind of life in this univer...
"On a cooler sun on a primordial earth: "I later learned that biologists, when they are feeling jocose, refer to this as the 'Chinese Resaturant Proble...
"Energy is liberated matter, matter is energy waiting to happen.
"It is a slightly arresting notion that if you were to pick yourself apart with tweezers, one atom at a time, you would produce a mound of fine atomic ...
"It is easy to overlook this thought that life just is. As humans we are inclined to feel that life must have a point. We have plans and aspirations an...
"As humans we are inclined to feel that life must have a point. We have plans and aspirations and desires. We want to take constant advantage of all th...
"This is a world where things move at their own pace, including a tiny lift Fortey and I shared with a scholarly looking elderly man with whom Fortey c...
"There are three stages in scientific discovery. First, people deny that it is true, then they deny that it is important; finally they credit the wrong...
"The universe is an amazingly fickle and eventful place, and our existence within is a wonder.
"Consider the Lichen. Lichens are just about the hardiest visible organisms on Earth, but the least ambitious.
"As we parted at the Natural History Museum in London, I asked Richard Fortey how science ensures that when one person goes there's someone ready to ta...
"Bipedalism is a demanding and risky strategy. It means refashioning the pelvis into a full load-bearing instrument. To preserve the required strength,...