Almost Chimpanzee: Searching for What Makes Us Human, in Rainforests, Labs, Sanctuaries, and Zoos »

Jon Cohen is the author of Shots in the Dark and Coming to Term. He is a correspondent at the internationally renowned Science magazine and has also written for The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, Discover, Smithsonian, and Slate. He lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California.

The captivating story of how a band of scientists has redrawn the genetic and behavioral lines that separate humans from our nearest cousins

In the fall of 2005, a band of researchers cracked the code of the chimpanzee genome and provided a startling new window into the differences between humans and our closest primate cousins. For the past several years, acclaimed Science reporter Jon Cohen has been following the DNA hunt, as well as eye-opening new studies in ape communication, human evolution, disease, diet, and more.

In Almost Chimpanzee, Cohen invites us on a captivating scientific journey, taking us behind the scenes in cutting-edge genetics labs, rain forests in Uganda, sanctuaries in Iowa, experimental enclaves in Japan, even the Detroit Zoo. Along the way, he ferries fresh chimp sperm for a time-sensitive analysis, gets greeted by pant-hoots and chimp feces, and investigates an audacious attempt to breed a humanzee. Cohen offers a fresh and often frankly humorous insider's tour of the latest research, which promises to lead to everything from insights about the unique ways our bodies work to shedding light on stubborn human-only problems, ranging from infertility and asthma to speech disorders.

And in the end, Cohen explains why it's time to move on from Jane Goodall's plea that we focus on how the two species are alike and turns to examining why our differences matter in vital ways—for understanding humans and for increasing the chances to save the endangered chimpanzee.

The Washington Post - Deborah Blum

…a meticulous exploration of how both small quirks and large kinks in biology and culture led to such different destinations…a briskly told, clear-headed survey of research that looks at the innate differences between two closely linked species, never forgetting that one of those species—at least for now—stands as the most successful primate in the planet's history.

Introduction: In Their Habitat 1

One Blood

1 The Family Tree 9

2 Two Become One 31

3 In Sickness and Health 54

4 Of Epidemic Proportions 74

Two Brains

5 Talking Apes 99

6 The Fox in the Chimp House 128

7 Mind the Gap 157

8 Head to Head 187

Three Bodies

9 Walk This Way 211

10 Carnal Knowledge 243

11 It's a Chimp's Life 264

12 Born to Be Wild 287

Notes 317

Acknowledgments 347

Index 355