Listen to a sample
The Powerful Primate
- Author
- Roland Ennos
- Narrator
- Matt Godfrey
- Publisher
- Oneworld Publications
- Publish Date
- 5 March 2026
- Run Time
- 8 hours 54 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
Why are humans the most feared predator in the world?
Over five million years ago, a group of primates discovered tools. Perhaps it was a large rock, ideal for cracking nuts, or a stick to extract honey from a beehive. Regardless, the future of our planet was changed forever.
Slowly, the primate evolved, abandoning the trees for solid ground and four legs for two – and the tools changed with it. Stones were sharpened, then attached to sticks, before stone gave way to bronze, iron, steel. With axes came agriculture and the first permanent human settlements, which soon became villages, towns and cities. Sticks and stones transformed into gunpowder, the printing press, combustion engine, electric light, antibiotics and finally the computer. Through sheer invention, Homo sapiens had conquered the planet.
Tracing the evolution of humans into the planet's apex predator – the foremost 'bullies of the natural world' – Roland Ennos explores the miraculous and devastating power of human technology from the earliest tools to the present day.
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Roland Ennos
- Narrator
- Matt Godfrey
- Duration
- 8 hours 54 minutes
- Release Date
- 5 March 2026
- ISBN
- 9781836433569
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Oneworld Publications
- Genre
- Anthropology, Sociology and anthropology
Synopsis
Why are humans the most feared predator in the world? Over five million years ago, a group of primates discovered tools. Perhaps it was a large rock, ideal for cracking nuts, or a stick to extract honey from a beehive. Regardless, the future of our planet was changed forever. Slowly, the primate evolved, abandoning the trees for solid ground and four legs for two – and the tools changed with it. Stones were sharpened, then attached to sticks, before stone gave way to bronze, iron, steel. With axes came agriculture and the first permanent human settlements, which soon became villages, towns and cities. Sticks and stones transformed into gunpowder, the printing press, combustion engine, electric light, antibiotics and finally the computer. Through sheer invention, Homo sapiens had conquered the planet. Tracing the evolution of humans into the planet's apex predator – the foremost 'bullies of the natural world' – Roland Ennos explores the miraculous and devastating power of human technology from the earliest tools to the present day.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.