The River That Flows Uphill: A Journey from the Big Bang to the Big Brain

by William H. Calvin

Written in the form of a scientists diary of a two-week float trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. There we find rocks of great age, fossils, dwellings of Stone Age peoples, and experience the land much as our ancestors did during all those untold generations in the dimly remembered world from which we somehow took flight.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Evolution, Travel, Natural History, Philosophy, History

548 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

William H. Calvin, Ph.D., is a theoretical neurobiologist, Affiliate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is the author of a dozen books, mostly for general readers, about brains and evolution.

(source)

Reviews

[Samyy]

I wish I could give this book extra stars because it deserves them.

More than an adventure, it is a call to action that everyone must read.

A fun and exciting exploration of the Grand Canyon as well as of the rock and life forms we find within.

Very well written and exciting.

Offers simple, laymen explanations of how life formed from the beginning from simple molecules found in abundance.

Discusses everything from consciousness and nuclear war to climate change in a way that is informative and accessible.

Discusses the aquatic ape hypothesis which I am a huge proponent of.

Challenges the conventional notions of why bigger brains evolved in humans.

But most importantly it touches on things like population growth and the destruction of our natural resources, the rape of our habitat and the way we are displacing species at an alarming rate. I can not recommend this book enough.

[Kai Cardinal Von Widder]

Sicherlich ein Buch, das es verdient, gelesen zu werden. Allein schon die Reise auf dem Grand Canyon lädt zum Träumen ein.
Mittlerweile ist das Buch aber in die Jahre gekommen. Vieles, was man wissenschaftlich in 1990er als gegeben angesehen würde, steht heute sicherlich in einem anderen Zusammenhang da.
Das Buch macht Spaß, aber mit einem gewissen Abstand.

[Susu]

Eine mehrtägige Flußfahrt auf dem Colorado durch die geologische Geschichte, die der Canyon offenlegt - durch die Wissenschaftsgeschichte bis zum Ursprung der Menschheit - ein Überblick über viele Wissensfelder, fassbar erzählt.
Seit 1997 dürfte sich auf einigen der wissenschaftlichen Felder Neues getan haben, dennoch gewinnt man einen guten Einblick ins wissenschaftliche Denken.

[Julie]

The Grand Canyon is the backdrop of this tour down the Colorado River that explores everything from the Big Bang to the big brain This excellent book explores science and natural history in a wonderfully imaginative way. A great read!

[Frithjof]

Broke-up, maybe another time...

[Margo]

Heel gaaf boek, een groep neuro wetenschappers vertellen over het ontstaan vd aarde adhv een boottocht over de coloradorivier en de lagen in de grand canyon.

[Art King]

Great science writing with a dose of ideology thrown in.

This review is from: The River that Flows Uphill: A Journey From the Big Bang to the Big Brain (Paperback)
Calvin does science writing that is a pleasure to read. This account of floating the Grand Canyon on rubber rafts is all wrapped up in a wide sweep of natural history. My only criticism is his constant diversions to his own personal views on population control and environmentalism. He brings up these topics with all the fervor of a true religious believer, though they have little to do with the topic of the book. This is a strange diversion for a book which otherwise sticks close to a scientific outlook. Good scientists (like most of us) have a difficult time separating their own religious ideology from their science.
Read it anyway. This book is a playground of stimulating ideas

[reherrma]

William H. Calvin macht mit Freunden eine Rafting-Tour auf dem Colorado durch den Grand Canyon. Die grandiosen Naturschauspiele, besonders die farbigen Bänder der unterschiedlichen Erdschichten im Canyon regen die Reisenden immer wieder zu Gesprächen über den Ursprung des Lebens auf diesem Planeten, ja über die gesamte Evolutionsgeschichte überhaupt an. Ein grandioses Sachbuch das uns ein wenig die Ehrfurcht vor der Schöpfung wieder erweckt und gleichzeitig ein anschauliger und spannender Reisebericht über eine Rafting-Tour durch den Grans Canyon...

[Richard]

Calvin uses a 2 week raft journey down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon as a caltalyst for wide ranging discussions with companions from different scientific disciplines about the history of the earth and evolution. it is a fascinating way to provide a thorough interweaving of geology, human evolution, anthropology, and ecology in a way that is accessible and educational. And you learn a lot about the Grand Canyon too.

[Grada (BoekenTrol)]

This book travelled with me to Georgia (Sakhartvelo) and back again. I read it with great interest, although it was not an easy read.
Still, I would like to re-read it, because I liked it so much.

01-07-2018:
The re-read won't happen, the book has waited long enough for it. I'll be setting it free soon, so it can find another interested reader.

[Georg]

my favorite book

[Charles]

Simply a wonderful book. A combination of science and philosophy. Played a big role in directing my interests toward the subject of evolution.

[Vanessa]

A good book, but too many side steps in the authors telling of the story. I got a bit bored with the personal accounts.

[John Williams]

I read this book while rafting down the river. Parts are very interesting and parts are slow reading. I also knew the author when we were both graduate students at UW.

[Henk]

Nice, easy to read, learned a lot about geology.

[Vera VB]

This book has geography, history, philosephy, adventure and a lot more.

[Ken Nickerson]

Brilliant!

[Marko]

I have two different german editions. Zje other is: Die Geschichte des Lebens