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Chip Walter

Goodreads Author

Born

Pittsburgh, The United States

Website

http://www.chipwalter.com

Twitter

chipwalter

Genre

Science, Thriller, Science Fiction

Influences

Lewis Thomas, Loren Eiseley, James Joyce, Raymond Chandler, John Stein ...more

Member Since

October 2012

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I am an author, National Geographic Explorer, filmmaker and former CNN bureau chief. Mostly because of my irrational curiosity, I've developed an unusually broad background that spans both science and entertainment. I have written and sold multiple screenplays, but my sixth book, Doppelgänger, is my first novel, a science fiction thriller that explores a post-dystopian world where the main character is faced with solving his own murder, and where artificial intelligence approaches human consciousness. More details on that here: https://chipwalter.com/doppelganger.)

My earlier books include Immortality, Inc. -- Renegade Science, Silicon Valley Billions, and the Quest to Live Forever for National Geographic. It's available in bookstores everyw I am an author, National Geographic Explorer, filmmaker and former CNN bureau chief. Mostly because of my irrational curiosity, I've developed an unusually broad background that spans both science and entertainment. I have written and sold multiple screenplays, but my sixth book, Doppelgänger, is my first novel, a science fiction thriller that explores a post-dystopian world where the main character is faced with solving his own murder, and where artificial intelligence approaches human consciousness. More details on that here: https://chipwalter.com/doppelganger.)

My earlier books include Immortality, Inc. -- Renegade Science, Silicon Valley Billions, and the Quest to Live Forever for National Geographic. It's available in bookstores everywhere. Salon's review: “Walter has clearly gained the trust of some of the most innovative and imaginative thinkers of the early 21st century, and in doing so he's able to offer the reader a glimpse inside their minds. And what we find there is certainly colorful. Whatever one thinks of the quest for immortality, it is impossible not to be intrigued by it”. The Wall Street Journal wrote, “While Immortality, Inc. is focused on aging and the efforts to defy it, the book is also a gripping chronicle of private-sector experimentation and ingenuity.” “Witty … worth the ride,” wrote Nature, and Publisher’s Weekly calls the book, “Fascinating.” It was chosen one of the nation’s top six science books by Malcolm Gladwell’s Next Big Idea Club.

Other books include Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived; Thumbs, Toes and Tears – And Other Traits That Make Us Human (Walker –– Bloomsbury Publishing); I’m Working on That with William Shatner (Simon and Schuster); and Space Age for Random House, the companion volume to the primetime PBS series that I developed back in the stone age.

I have been fortunate enough to have my books published in eight languages that have reached mainstream audiences from Kyoto to Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Hong Kong, Mexico City and Krakow, God help them.

The New York Times Book Review, called Last Ape “a lively journey… that takes an antic delight in the triumphal adaptations and terrifying near misses of human evolution.” ”The New Yorker called it “engaging” and “fascinating.” And Booklist called it, “captivating, informative, exceptionally well-written and accessible.” Thumbs, Toes and Tears also received some nice reviews: Publisher’s Weekly wrote“fascinating and superbly written,” while Kirkus Reviews said, “Walter narrates with flair and enthusiasm.”

When I did a stint in Hollywood, I sold screenplays to Universal/Imagine Films, Tri-Star and Warner Bros. I've written tons of articles over the years for National Geographic, The Economist, Slate, the Wall Street Journal, and Scientific American, among many others covering subjects from the origins of kissing, laughter and human consciousness to the origins of human art and the development of futuristic technologies. My work as a journalist and documentary filmmaker, have taken me all over the place -- from the Amazon Rain Forest and Outback of Australia to the Serengeti and remote islands of the Pacific. Even Antarctica as part of my current project with his wife Cyndy to travel all seven continents, never by jet.

Sorry for piling all of that information on you, but there's just a bit more. I'm deeply fascinated with two seemingly unrelated subjects – human behavior, and the increasingly rapid advance of technology and its effect upon our lives and society. I believe no technology, no matter how powerful, can succeed unless it connects positively and effectively on a human level. (Thus Doppelgänger.) To smooth the immense and disruptive transitions that lie ahead, I feel it's crucial for us to not only understand the power of emerging technology, but also to better comprehend the core attributes that make human ...more

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Chip Walter’s books

Average rating: 3.95 · 1,756 ratings · 244 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived 4.01 avg rating — 1,237 ratings — published 2013 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Thumbs, Toes, and Tears: And Other Traits That Make Us Human 3.88 avg rating — 211 ratings — published 2006 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Immortality, Inc.: Renegade Science, Silicon Valley Billions, and the Quest to Live Forever 3.64 avg rating — 200 ratings — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Doppelgänger: An Orphan, a Prodigy, a Murder by Chip Walter (Goodreads Author), Frank Harris (illustrator) 4.07 avg rating — 81 ratings — published 2024 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Misadventures of Ernest Fletcher Quick 3.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Misadventures of Ernest Fletcher Quick did not like it 1.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Misadventures of Ernest Fletcher Quick - Episodes 22 - 25 did not like it 1.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Misadventures of Ernest Fletcher Quick did not like it 1.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Misadventures of Ernest Fletcher Quick (Episodes One Through Seventeen): Master Edition Episodes 1 through 17 did not like it 1.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Thumbs, Toes, and Tears: And Other Traits That Make Us Human 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Chip Walter…

32 posts
Chip Walter's Blog: Childhood Is Why We Are the Last Ape Standing

Meet Ms. Schuster McCoy, Ph.D.

Smart, Determined, and Freezing Her Tail Off — The Protagonist in My Next Mystery

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Published on August 26, 2025 20:16

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Chip’s Recent Updates

Chip Walter wrote a new blog post Meet Ms. Schuster McCoy, Ph.D. Smart, Determined, and Freezing Her Tail Off — The Protagonist in My Next Mystery ...
Aug 27, 2025 01:46AM · like
Chip Walter joined the groups Science Fiction Aficionados and Action/Adventure Aficionados
Apr 13, 2025 09:40AM
Chip Walter liked Hannah's review of Things Don't Break on Their Own: "Audiobook narrator putting in work on accents. "
Sep 19, 2024 11:17AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Things Don't Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Things Don't Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Chip Walter made a comment on Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.)’s review of Nineteen Eighty-Four " Couldn't agree more. We have entered dangerous territory and had better hope Donald Trump does not succeed in undoing American democracy in the coming ...more "
Aug 21, 2024 12:30PM · see review
Chip Walter rated a book it was amazing Doppelgänger - An Orphan, a Prodigy, a Murder by Chip Walter (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I am the author of this book so I'll give it my best rating, but encourage you to read reviews by others and judge for yourself whether my book is worth reading and reviewing. Many thanks for taking the time to look it over! ...more
Aug 09, 2024 09:37AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Doppelgänger - An Orphan, a Prodigy, a Murder by Chip Walter. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Doppelgänger - An Orphan, a Prodigy, a Murder by Chip Walter <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Chip Walter liked Casey's review of Doppelgänger: An Orphan, a Prodigy, a Murder: "Doppelgänger is a wonderful murder mystery for the modern world. It kept me on the edge of my seat! Both the real world and the virtual world were so well fleshed-out - I felt like I could see and feel the action playing out in the book. I loved the " Read more of this review »
Aug 02, 2024 01:57PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Doppelgänger by Chip Walter. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Doppelgänger by Chip Walter <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Chip Walter entered a giveaway Getting It Right This Time: Break Free from Your Hidden Blocks to Lasting Love by Orna Walters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 24, 2024 08:38AM · like · see giveaway · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Getting It Right This Time by Orna Walters. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Getting It Right This Time by Orna Walters <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Chip Walter rated a book it was amazing Doppelgänger - An Orphan, a Prodigy, a Murder by Chip Walter (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I am the author of this book so I'll give it my best rating, but encourage you to read reviews by others and judge for yourself whether my book is worth reading and reviewing. Many thanks for taking the time to look it over! ...more
Jul 19, 2024 08:22AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Doppelgänger - An Orphan, a Prodigy, a Murder by Chip Walter. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Doppelgänger - An Orphan, a Prodigy, a Murder by Chip Walter <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Chip Walter rated a book it was amazing The Seven Pillars of Wisdom: a triumph by T.E. Lawrence	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In this book T.E. Lawrence, the inspiration for the epic David Lean film Lawrence of Arabia, relates his own rise among the Arab tribes to help overthrow Ottoman rule during World War I. It’s an astounding story and whatever you may say of the outcom ...more
Jul 18, 2024 10:10AM · like · see review

More of Chip's books…

Quotes by Chip Walter (?)

“Today we are even manipulating the DNA that makes us possible in the first place—a case of evolution evolving new ways to evolve.”
― Chip Walter, Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived

tags: evolution, human-evolution, نظرية-التطور

3 likes

“Today we are even manipulating the DNA that makes us possible in the first place—a case of evolution evolving new ways to evolve. (Think about that for a moment.)”
― Chip Walter, Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived

1 likes

“We are the only primates that can tap our foot or move our body in time with a specific rhythm. It’s wired into us, but not into our chimp or gorilla cousins, which tells us that it is a trait that like language, big toes, and toolmaking evolved sometime over the past seven million years.”
― Chip Walter, Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived

1 likes

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