Though most recent works on evolution spawned by the bicentenary of Darwin’s birth and the sesquicentennial of The Origin of Species’ publication have centered on the sciences’ founding studies and works, Neil Shubin’s monograph explores the impact of a more recent discovery. A professor of organismal and evolutionary biology at the University of Chicago and provost of the Field Museum, Shubin entered the public eye upon his discovery of a Devonian period creature whose combination of piscine and tetrapod traits led to its initial description as a “fishapod.” In Your Inner Fish, a work that begins with the discovery of Tiktallik, an ancient species midway between fish and reptile, Shubin quickly and comprehensibly introduces readers the basics of paleontology, evolutionary genetics and embryology and taxonomy.

This sweeping narrative starts out with a brief description of Shubin’s career and the events that led him to the fossilized proto-reptile that secured his reputation. Characterizing the paleontologist’s life as a decidedly unromantic affair, he notes that over the course of an expedition, he will typically “freeze, get blisters, and find absolutely nothing.” With proper search techniques, a promising site, and a measure of luck, however, paleontologists can turn up fossil records that help write the history of life on earth.

While Tiktallik turned up in the midst of an arctic expedition, some of Shubin’s other expeditions have involved highway construction sites, areas where explosives occasionally expose layers of ancient fossil-containing rock. After Shubin found Tiktallik and detailed its important proto-reptilian characteristics, including the theoretical ability to do pushups, he begins to analyze the development of human anatomy. This portion of the book is divided into body parts, including arms, teeth and ears, with each chapter detailing how the human version developed from our aquatic ancestors. The portrait of the human body that results is very much one of a jury-rigged invertebrate, fitted with fragile joints and large brains in the blink of an evolutionary eye. Between these descriptions, Shubin tackles the more general topics of body planning and the genes that code such planning.

Shubin maintains an engaging, cheerful tone throughout the work, and manages to make the fundamentals of his subject matter accessible to even the most scientifically challenged of readers. He seems uniquely qualified to tell this story, which was 375 million years in the making.

Those with strong backgrounds in biology might find the information frustratingly elementary at times but may still find the fish angle fascinating. Amusing pieces of trivia and immediately applicable information, such as the section on the amphibian origin of hiccups in humans, render the book truly pleasant to read. Anyone who has not yet learned that a sponge can regroup into a new, perfectly functional sponge after being run through a blender, as well as a good number who have, will be captivated. As a brief introduction to the descent of humans, its elegance and insight are matched by few other works.

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