Decline and Fall of the Human Empire

We agree at our meetings which popular science books we would like to read, trying to get a balance between the various science disciplines. You don't have to be a scientist to come along, just be interested in science.

Tonight we will discuss The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire: Why Our Species Is on the Edge of Extinction by Henry Gee. From the winner of the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize, an editor of the journal Nature, a thrilling and thought-provoking account of the rise and fall of humankind.

From the Pan Macmillan website:

For the first time in over ten millennia, the rate of human population growth is slowing down. The global population is forecast to begin declining in the second half of this century, and in 10,000 years’ time our species will likely be extinct.

In The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire, Henry Gee shows how we arrived at this crucial moment in history, beginning his story deep in the palaeolithic past and charting our dramatic rise from one species of human among many to the most dominant animal ever to live on Earth.

But rapid climate change, a stagnating global economy, falling birth rates and an unexplainable decline in average human sperm count are combining to make our chances for longevity increasingly slim. There could be a way forward, but the launch window is narrow . . .

Drawing on a dazzling array of the latest scientific research, Gee tells the extraordinary story of humanity with characteristic warmth and wit, and suggests how our exceptional species might avoid its tragic fate.

The book can be purchased from David’s Bookshop in Letchworth (LALG discount makes it very competitively priced) or ordered from the library.

We meet in the bar of Letchworth Sports and Tennis Club, Muddy Lane. There is no charge but please buy a drink NB card only, no cash. This group is currently full but vacancies come up fairly often so contact Ann to go on the waiting list.