This book investigates the biological and evolutionary consequences of the discordance between human physiological development and the demands of the modern urban environment. Authors Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson, both distinguished medical scientists, utilize a multidisciplinary framework to argue that contemporary health crises—including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease—are direct results of this evolutionary mismatch. They contend that human biology, shaped by ancestral environments, remains fundamentally incompatible with current lifestyle shifts, necessitating a new understanding of human health and disease progression.

Experts recognize this work as a significant synthesis of evolutionary medicine, providing a clear framework for understanding the origins of modern non-communicable diseases. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which effectively bridges the gap between complex biological research and public health implications.