I’m sharing this with the Evolution community because I think it would be of interest to many of your students. It is accessible to a broad audience – written at the high school grade level – but is also a serious treatment of topics as it includes more than 100 citations of the primary literature. It integrates information from paleontology and human genomics, and covers a number of general topics in evolutionary biology including phylogenetics, gene trees and coalescence theory, inbreeding, inclusive fitness, genetic correlations, evolutionary constraints, cultural evolution, and natural and sexual selection. It has been endorsed by leading evolutionary biologists: Mitch Cruzan's research is on evolutionary processes in plants, but he has studied in depth the published research on the fossil record and genetic aspects of human evolution.  His clear description of how our species evolved, and how this accounts for unique human characteristics, is peerless.  I found his treatment fascinating and deeply rewarding. Douglas Futuyma, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Department of Ecology and Evolution Stony Brook University An entertaining and informative exploration of the evolutionary journey that led to us. Jonathan Losos Professor of Biology Washington University, St. Louis How modern humans evolved is among the most scientifically interesting — and the most socially contentious — topics in all of science. Drawing on the full toolkit of contemporary evolutionary biology, Mitchell Cruzan’s Looking Down the Tree offers a succinct, lively, and provocative account of human evolution. Glenn Branch, Deputy Director, National Center for Science Education. Now available in print: Looking down the Tree – The Evolutionary Biology of Human Origins , by Mitch Cruzan, Oxford University Press, October, 2025. Mitch Cruzan, Assistant Chair Department of Biology Portland State University https://cruzanlab.com/ @mitchcruzan.bsky.social Books authored: /Looking Down the Tree - The Evolutionary Biology of Human Origins/ Oxford University Press (available late summer 2025) /Evolutionary Biology - A Plant Perspective/ Oxford University Press 2018 Mitchell Cruzan (to subscribe/unsubscribe the EvolDir send mail to golding@mcmaster.ca)