Humanology: A Scientist's Guide to our Amazing Existence

by Luke O'Neill

Taking us on an incredible journey across centuries and galaxies, accompanied by his characteristic wit, Professor Luke O’Neill explains how it all began, how it all will end and everything in between. Readers will benefit from Luke’s insatiable curiosity for life when they dive into this ultimate journey through life and death. Among many fascinating facts, you’ll discover the science behind how we got to be so smart, why sex with a caveman was a good idea, the science of finding love, why we follow religions, and how robots will become part of everyday life. Humanology is a humbling reminder that we’re just a small speck in a big universe – so sit back and embrace the adventure. 'A man who can explain 4.2 billion years of life on Earth and make me laugh at the same time – sheer genius. 'Pat Kenny, Newstalk

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Audiobook, Nature, College, Anthropology

336 pages, Hardcover

Published August 31, 2018

Reviews

[Cam Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆☆☆☆☆ – I am definitely a smart boy 😊
Watch my full review at - https://youtu.be/dMUfBSVc25o

I do enjoy a good non-fiction book from time to time, but how effective they are at not only educating, but entertaining me, is always a bit shaky. I can tell you that Luke had no issue keeping me interested with this book.

If I were to tell you this book covers everything in the world, that would seem like a crazy claim. Because it is. But Humanology comes dang close, my guy.
Covering the life and death of the universe and the complexities of us carbon based specs who live there, would sound like a boring concept, but Luke’s personality shines through in all his well-researched explanations. Using funny and relatable examples and stories, Luke teaches you about nearly everything that makes us human, including one of my favourite parts; how the science of being attractive actually works. (I need all the help I can get)

All I can say is that if you love sciencey non-fiction, or if you’re looking to start reading into that genre, this is a great place to begin.

[Rita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative book but it wasn’t for me.

How’s a book released in 2020 still using the “R word” to talk about mental disabilities?? Effing hated hearing that.

And then there was the whole point- paraphrasing - that we should be looking at the bigger picture because we’ve “lived in peace for over 40 years.” Even in 2020, there was enough conflict and genocides going on that it felt way too glass-half-full. Listening to it now, from the perspective of 2025, the world feels even more bleak than maybe it did when the book was written and I refused to be positive about it just because there's no war where I live. That was my personal interpretation, of course. 🙃🙃

I’ll admit I’m petty, and I got irritated by details that probably wouldn’t bother other people, so you might appreciate the book and the science behind it.

2/5 ⭐

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 , was enjoyable I liked the narrator makes the information easily digestible.
Felt like a good overview of very complex topics

[Meanderer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like a tennis ball machine that throws interesting facts at you one after another. These are discrete, disconnected ideas and so don’t expect any more than that.

If all you want from your science books is to say, “gee whiz”, over and over, this is the book for you.

Nevertheless, the author seems a delightful fellow. If you ever have a chance to have a conversation with him, you will not be disappointed.

[Sarah M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t wait to spot Luke O’Neill walking around Trinity and yell “I LOVE YOU” at him

If it ain’t obvious, I loved this, love Luke O’Neill and will continue to love every book he puts out in future!!

[trijnewijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

In dit boek probeert de schrijver antwoorden te geven op vragen zoals hoe zijn mensen ontstaan, wat maakt ons anders, wat zijn ziektes, zijn mensen voorbestemd om te geloven enz. Ik vond het verfrissend dat vrij veel aandacht werd gegeven aan aftakeling en sterven, aangezien die onderwerpen vaak maar heel oppervlakkig aan bod komen, áls ze al aan bod komen. Net als bij de opvolger van dit boek (never mind the bullocks, here's the science) was er sprake van een zekere bias over sommige onderwerpen en beïnvloedt zijn voorliefde voor science fiction duidelijk zijn beeld over toekomst. Maar nu weet ik tenminste iets meer over één van de momenteel populairste wetenschappers in Ierland en val ik niet meer volledig uit de lucht als zijn naam vermeld wordt aan de schoolpoort :)

[Kim]

DNF.
Became too much of an opinionated rant. Not too bad a skim on early cell science. Was Ok on the discovery of the double helix but author made some outdated unsubstantiated throw away lines on causes of drug use and other outdated stuff on Homosapien and Neanderthal interactions that were explained much better (and referenced more recent research) in Tim Flannery's non-fiction titled Europe (2020).
Might be better to read in print than listen to on audio like I attempted.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ins and outs of the human journey, written for the layperson with a bit of humour thrown in.

[Muhammed Hebala · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is full of shit. He takes his atheism one step further and claims that religion has been invented as a result of mental illness or hallucinations, people have been 'tripping' as result of hallucinogenic material ingestion, leading to their invention of God?? A book of science? A book of mental excrement.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really nice to start off reading this book and immediately feel like I'm not slacking on studying for biology, because there were immediate mentions of DNA nucleotides and the likes. I should read non-fiction more often, books like this one and Katie Mack's The End of Everything (though Humanology is a lot more accessible, which makes it perfect for anyone who's not big into science, or want an easy read, while most of The End of Everything went over my head) really gets a person out of their head, to think more critically and big-picture. Loads of Irish scientist namedrops, which is incredibly important. Another aspect of Humanology that kept it engaging, apart from the non-esoteric language was that Luke O' Neill is funny, he doesn't present facts like a textbook. Laughed at the comment on all his friends ending up in jail because they have poor impulse control and no concept of delayed gratification. Noting that fun fact about blood pooling at the lowest point leaving a black mark on the underside of a corpse, leaving the rest pale. (I don't know. Just genuinely interesting.) There are a couple of strange repetitions that maybe the editor missed, where for example the LHC or other scientific concepts were randomly reintroduced in different chapters as if for the first time, maybe so the reader was given a reminder of the concept, but it still read strangely. In some chapters there would be a callback, like 'this is mentioned in the chapter on the immune system', while in others, there just wouldn't, as if the author hadn't yet decided what order the chapters would be in, something like that.
Anyway, good first read of 2023.
Thanks Ewan..

[Phil James · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of you who do not know him, the author of this book Professor Luke O'Neill is a professor of Pharmacologist and now Professor of Microbiology with a focus on immunology in Trinity College Dublin. For the past few years he has held a regular slot on radio here in Ireland basically talking about various topics related to health and science. Since the COVID pandemic he has become a darling of the media and is constantly on radio and TV.
This beautifully presented book was published a couple of years ago and given to me as a present and has sat on a shelf along with another pile of books I'm trying to work my way through. Anyhow, it is a very easy to read discussing the science behind various things such as why we like music, aging, the big bang etc. Basically it is a beautifully presented, easy to read (and dip in and out of) book that it is a joy. Professor O'Neill has a lovely style of writing, similar to his radio persona. A great present for yourself or a loved one that likes science. Hell, even leave it beside the loo and you'll work your way through it.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard Prof. Luke O'Neill during 2020 on an RTE News report about the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to his calm and level headed commentary, which seemed to be based on actual scientific evidence, I decided to learn a little more about his opinions and opted to borrow 'Humanology: A Scientist’s Guide to our Amazing Existence (Hardcover)' from the local library.

The book is an easy to read and seems enjoyable from the start with chapters such as, 'Welcome O Life. How Life Got Started' and 'Irish Mammies Got It Right', there is certainly no attempt to be "high flautin" and O'Neill keeps his approach simple but manages to impart a vast array of knowledge in bite size pieces.

Absolutely worth a read and one of the very rare times that I would find reading a scientific book actually fun.
(fyi: being a Professor of Pharmacologist and Professor of Microbiology with a focus on immunology in Trinity College Dublin)

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections and lessons learned:
“Show me the evidence or stop talking”

I’m not sure what attracted me to this book, but I thought that it was really well balanced across so many elements starting with the building blocks of life, from point one. Always good when there’s a nod to the usefulness of Libraries!

Really interesting parts on why are some things funny; hearing music and frequency (and the use of Nickelback and Manilow as punishment); liver clearing and the importance of sleep, Owl and lark match up rather than just having a lazy husband, AI takeover, robot suicide (gulp!) & paperclip maximiser theory and, cryonics.

Strange to hear the discussion of the potential effects of a pandemic... whilst in the midst of a pandemic! Really important short section on cognitive dissonance too. Overall a lovely gentle but very informative piece

[Adrian Taheny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A defining book that will become a reference point for all future generations of this species (and /or any to follow) as to our scientific understanding of ourselves and the world we live in at this point in time.

It is also a deeply enlightening book mapping our origins, evolution and eventual demise.

[John Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for those interested in science and everyday curiosity in the world around us. Very easy-going writing style and feels like a fireside conversation without being too "sciency".

[John Maguire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of time for Prof. O’Neill and his huge contribution to explaining the science to people during the pandemic. And so I was hoping to enjoy this book a bit more but for whatever reason I just found it to be tough going as can be seen by it taking me a year to get through it. I think it was just his style of written humour that doesn’t work for me personally. Lots of interesting info in here though.

[Simon Newstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable and mind opening journey into life and what makes us human, from creation of the first cell through to evolution and the future of life and death, of us and our species. Told in an engaging and fun way, that ultimately finishes on an optimistic tone. Really enjoyed this, especially with the excellent audiobook narration.

[Algirdas Kraunaitis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda fun and easy listen, a bit more relaxed version of Yuval Noah Harari books. A lot of the science in this book is probably already out of date - I was listening and having some doubts about one 'fact' or another. Still, the narration was upbeat, it kept my attention and allowed to pass the time in an entertaining manner.

[Alexander Bayliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-paced, engaging, sweeping in scope but superficial at points. Some of the psychological findings were presented too simplistically, which made me wonder about the rest of it. Still, very entertaining.

[Ms Hazel Tragy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book not only taught me a thing or two, it made me laugh while doing so. Luke O'Neill is a brilliant, intelligent writer with references to Animal Farm, Brave New World and other works including legitimate scientific studies throughout.

[Martin Stapleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable read, presents interesting scientific discoveries in a manner that informs and entertains. Begins a little heavy on the scientific detail that might scare off a science noob.

[arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it! An amazing read from start to finish!

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful read/listen...especially considering I consumed it during the time of corona. Time well spent.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the audiobook rendition of this but it did start feel a bit repetitive at points. Other than that it was a fascinating listen and I would be comfortable to recommend.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the evolution of the planet told from a scientific, Anthropological and humorous point of view.

I enjoyed the layman explanations and the common sense approach of the book!

[Harriet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book full of giggles, he explains a lot through analogy. Listened to as an audiobook.

[Catherine Steacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Enone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and easy to listen to.

[Monica]

Forgettable

[Clifford Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and well written book. Thoughly recommend reading it