In her new book Transcendence: How Humans Evolved Through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time Gaia Vince assembles everything you need to know about the world and how human beings have come to rule over so many aspects of it. If it sounds like a mammoth task...that's because it is! Vince skillfully breaks it down into five distinct sections, looking at everything from how humans have mastered energy expenditure for the benefit of the masses, to the pivotal role language has played in making us a species that stand entirely on our own in a whole host of things.