Category Archives: Fish with Feet: Human Evolution and the Image of God

Group Projects

May 1, 2026 By in Fish with Feet: Human Evolution and the Image of God 1 Comment

You can always count on family for embarrassing childhood stories. This was one of my mom’s favorites:

I frequently came home from kindergarten in tears, saying “the other kids don’t like me.” My mom scheduled a parent conference, expecting a comforting alternative story from my teacher.

Instead, my teacher responded: “she’s right.”

Womp-womp-womp…..

Apparently, I was a bit too bossy during group activities.

And to this day, I’m not a fan of group projects.

But writing a book is a different story. Writing is hard work, and it takes a team for an idea to travel from brain to book. I’m beyond grateful for mine.

My husband, my family, my friends. The awesome team of editors and publicists at Eerdmans Publishing. Teachers, past and present.

Some group projects aren’t so bad.

(Photo: a five year old Bossy Pants)

Neanderthals and Rodeo Cowboys

April 13, 2026 By in Fish with Feet: Human Evolution and the Image of God, Human Evolution, Neanderthal 1 Comment

Neanderthals, an extinct human species and our closest cousins, disappeared about 40 thousand years ago.

But before they did, they met and had children with modern humans.

The DNA of all modern humans with ancestry outside Africa is about 2% Neanderthal. In fact, 50-60% of the Neanderthal genome is found scattered throughout the modern human population.

I’ve spit in a test tube, and it’s true: about 2% of my DNA is Neanderthal!

Interestingly, modern Africans with only African ancestry have zero-to-almost zero Neanderthal DNA.

(Raise your hand if you know why!)

Here’s a fun fact: Neanderthal bones exhibit the same injuries seen in modern rodeo cowboys. Rodeo cowboys share a dangerous vocation with our extinct cousins – wrangling large animals in close quarters. Neanderthals weren’t throwing spears or shooting arrows or hunting with projectiles.

Do you wish you knew more about our evolutionary past? Have I got a book for you!

Coming in August: FISH WITH FEET: HUMAN EVOLUTION AND THE IMAGE OF GOD.

(available now for preorder at your favorite bookseller!)