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The World from Beginnings to 4000 BCEby Ian Tattersall
Oxford University Press, USA 2008; US$ 19.95To be human is to be curious. And one of the things we are most curious about is how we came to be who we are--how we evolved over millions of years to become creatures capable of inquiring into our own evolution. In this lively and readable introduction, renowned anthropologist Ian Tattersall thoroughly examines both the fossil and archeological records to trace human evolution from the earliest beginnings of our zoological family Hominidae, through the emergence of Homo sapiens, to the Agricultural Revolution. He begins with an accessible overview of evolutionary theory and then explores the major turning points in human evolution: the emergence of the genus Homo, the advantages of bipedalism--the trait that most strongly distinguishes humans... more...
Human Evolutionby Bernard Wood
Oxford University Press, UK 2005; US$ 8.95This Very Short Introduction traces the history of paleoanthropology from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to the very latest fossil finds. Bernard Wood shows how evidence from both fossils and the Human Genome Project can explain where modern-day humans fit into the Tree of Life. - ;This Very Short Introduction traces the history of paleoanthropology from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to the latest fossil finds. Although concentrating on the fossil evidence for human evolution, it also covers the latest genetic evidence about regional variations in the modern human genome that relate to our evolutionary history. Bernard Wood draws on over thirty years of experience to provide an insider's view of the field and some of... more...
Why Sex Mattersby Bobbi S. Low
Princeton University Press 2001; US$ 39.95Why are men, like other primate males, usually the aggressors and risk takers? Why do women typically have fewer sexual partners? Why is killing infants routine in some cultures, but forbidden in others? Why is incest everywhere taboo? Bobbi Low ranges from ancient Rome to modern America, from the Amazon to the Arctic, and from single-celled organisms to international politics to show that these and many other questions about human behavior largely come down to evolution and sex. More precisely, as she shows in this uniquely comprehensive and accessible survey of behavioral and evolutionary ecology, they come down to the basic principle that all organisms evolved to maximize their reproductive success and seek resources to do so. Low begins... more...
Origins of Human Behaviourby Robert Foley
Routledge 1990; US$ 148.00This volume explores the diverse ways in which the evolution of human behaviour can be investigated, and confronts the most challenging aspects of the subject. more...
Human Biology and Historyby Malcolm Smith
CRC Press 2002; US$ 99.95A unique interlacing of human biology and history, this book brings a fresh perspective to the subject and will appeal to all students and professionals across all levels of biology, archaeology, anthropology and social history. more...
The Dawn of Human Cultureby Richard G. Klein
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2002; US$ 27.95A bold new theory on what sparked the "big bang" of human culture The abrupt emergence of human culture over a stunningly short period continues to be one of the great enigmas of human evolution. This compelling book introduces a bold new theory on this unsolved mystery. Author Richard Klein reexamines the archaeological evidence and brings in new discoveries in the study of the human brain. These studies detail the changes that enabled humans to think and behave in far more sophisticated ways than before, resulting in the incredibly rapid evolution of new skills. Richard Klein has been described as "the premier anthropologist in the country today" by Evolutionary Anthropology. Here, he and coauthor Blake Edgar shed new light on the full... more...
Explaining Human Originsby Wiktor Stoczkowski; Mary Turton
Cambridge University Press 2002; US$ 30.00Wiktor Stoczkowski, a palaeo-anthropologist, argues that theories of human origins developed by archaeologists and physical anthropologists from the early nineteenth century to the present day are structurally similar to Western folk theories, and to the speculations of earlier philosophers. more...
Patterns of Growth and Development in the Genus Homoby J. L. Thompson; G. E. Krovitz; A. J. Nelson; C. G. Nicholas Mascie-Taylor; R. A. Foley; Nina Jablonski; Karen Strier; Michael Little; Kenneth M. Weiss
Cambridge University Press 2003; US$ 44.00Our earliest human ancestors grew more like modern apes than present-day humans. When, how and why did our modern pattern evolve, therefore? This book, covering growth patterns in Plio-Pleistocene adults and juveniles, including Homo antecessor, provides a rich data source for future research. more...
Second Natureby Haim Ofek
Cambridge University Press 2001; US$ 47.00Was exchange an early agent of human evolution or is it merely a de novo artifact of modern civilisation? Here, Haim Ofek explores the impact of market forces on human evolution, from the feed-as-you-go strategy typical of primates to the development of agriculture and the domestication of fire. more...
Genetic Nature/Cultureby Alan H. Goodman; Deborah Heath; M. Susan Lindee
University of California Press 2003; US$ 15.95The so-called science wars pit science against culture, and nowhere is the struggle more contentious?or more fraught with paradox?than in the burgeoning realm of genetics. A constructive response, and a welcome intervention, this volume brings together biological and cultural anthropologists to conduct an interdisciplinary dialogue that provokes and instructs even as it bridges the science/culture divide. Individual essays address issues raised by the science, politics, and history of race, evolution, and identity; genetically modified organisms and genetic diseases; gene work and ethics; and the boundary between humans and animals. The result is an entree to the complicated nexus of questions prompted by the power and importance of genetics... more...