An excellent read which manages to be accessible, interesting and informative. It's broken up just right to make it perfect for reading on the bus or at work, and the 400+ pages are compelling and engaging enough to never feel like a chore. The writing style does a fantastic job of making you experience the highs and lows of research, the excitement of new discoveries and the infectious desire for knowledge that has propelled us to this point. There's some interesting eccentrics and fascinating geniuses encountered along the way and it balances the annecdotes and hard science perfectly so it never feels too dense or too airy. Highly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in biology, history, humanity, or how we've got to where we are today.