On the Origin of Being

“Comer and Powers’s On the Origin of Being is a revelation—a captivating exploration of the evolutionary forces that have shaped the human mind, body, and soul. Through compelling storytelling and rigorous scientific inquiry, they unveil the disconnect between our ancestral blueprint and the contemporary landscape, offering invaluable guidance on reclaiming our vitality and purpose.” —David R. Samson, PhD, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto, author of Our Tribal Future, winner of the Writers’ Trust Balsillie Prize for Public Policy, recipient of the Canadian Sleep Society Roger Broughton Young Investigator Award

“Fantastically clear, easy to read, and deeply researched, On the Origin of Being is a must-read book. As an anthropologist, I’ve often puzzled at the profound tension between our modern lives and our evolutionary trajectories. How we sleep, work, eat, and love is a struggle between millions of years of evolution and a few centuries of recent cultural development. And now, we’re often left flailing to figure out how to bridge these contradictory worlds to live a good life. This book helps provide real answers, grounded in a range of academic fields, to the most important question we face every day—how to flourish.” —Chip Colwell, PhD, associate research professor of anthropology at University of Colorado Denver, founding editor-in-chief of SAPEINS magazine, author of So Much Stuff: How Humans Discovered Tools, Invented Meaning, and Made More of Everything

“We all crave the good life, and yet in our modern life it can feel far away. As a coach, I guide clients to be instinctive so that they can live their dreams. I’m so excited to recommend On the Origin of Being because it’s the scientific counterpart that teaches us how to live in a way that works. It’s a thoughtful, practical, and hopeful book that will lead you to your good life. And the science is downright captivating, easy to understand, and will ground what you’ve always known inside.” —Tama Kieves, bestselling author of Thriving Through Uncertainty and A Year Without Fear; speaker; and visionary career, success, and book coach