Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates

by Jill Rubalcaba, Peter Robertshaw

Overview

Dig in to the oldest record-keeping system on earth: the human body. 

Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw recount the unearthing of four hominins—Turkana Boy, Lapedo Child, Kennewick Man, and Iceman. Each discovery leads not only to deductions that scientists made in laboratories, but also to controversial debates over the reconstruction of these ancient corpses. Experts argue, institutions throw accusations, and reputations fall apart as the brightest minds in the business try to deduce what really happened millions of years ago. 

Learn how specialized the field of archaeology has become and how new technology can change both scientists' theories and the way we view the past.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580891646
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	02/01/2010
Edition description:	New
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	1010L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Jill Rubalcaba is the author of THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN WORLD, co-written with Eric H. Cline, THE EARLY HUMAN WORLD, cowritten with Peter Robertshaw, and THE WADJET EYE. Jill lives in Middletown, Connecticut. Peter Robertshaw has published four books and many articles and papers about African archaeology. He is the chair of the Department of Anthropology at California State University San Bernadino. He lives in Crestline, California.

Read an Excerpt

Most people think the dead are silent, but to an archaeologist they’re boisterous storytellers. Favorite tales come from remains thousands, even millions, of years old. Of course the dead don’t leap out of their graves and give away their secrets.
It takes scientists from every field imaginable to coax the details out of them. The stories are often garbled, and scientists don’t always agree about what the dead are saying. And then sometimes another find comes along with a different version of the story that changes everything.
A hundred years ago archaeologists were adventurers with a splash of scientist in their blood. They were driven to find things from the past—grand things, like treasures and kings. In the last century archaeology has changed dramatically. Today’s archaeologists are scientists first and foremost. They are driven to find out about things from the past—often ordinary things belonging to ordinary people.
These are the tales of four ordinary people—four hominins who lived long before recorded history.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction....................1
Discovery....................5
Deductions....................20
Debates....................30
Further reading and source notes....................42
Discovery....................45
Deductions....................62
Debates....................74
Further reading and source notes....................81
Discovery....................83
Deductions....................99
Debates....................109
Further reading and source notes....................121
Discovery....................125
Deductions....................138
Debates....................158
Further reading and source notes....................162
Conclusion....................164
Further reading and source notes....................166
Time line....................168
Glossary....................170
Hominins and friends....................175
Bibliography....................178
Index....................182
Acknowledgments/Photo credits....................185

Editorial Reviews

"[T]his is an excellent look at an engaging area of science that should find broad readership and use."
—School Library Journal

"Exceptionally well written, the book provides an exciting read that makes the joy of being a scientist come alive."
—Science

From the Publisher

Gr 8 Up—The authors have taken an unusual approach in this look at members of the human family tree. Rather than sketch all of human prehistory, they focus on four particular discoveries, noting the deductions that scientists have made and the debates that these conclusions have sparked. The finds that they detail are Turkana Boy, Lapedo Child, Kennewick Man, and Ötzi the Iceman. This approach will be helpful for students as it makes clear the type of work done by paleontologists, archaeologists, and their ilk. There is a lot of painstaking effort and a lot of careful thought. It is particularly interesting to learn what sorts of debates an activity as innocent-seeming as archaeology can engender. Full-color photos, an occasional map or diagram, and an illustrated time line enhance the presentation. As they have focused on only four individuals, readers may miss their personal favorites, such as "Lucy" and the recently discovered Homo floresiensis, nicknamed "hobbits." There are also some scientific points that aren't explained as well as they might be. In their discussion of genetics, for example, the authors refer to C, G, A, and T without ever explaining that these are the initials of cytosine, guanine, adenine, and thymine. While there are a few print sources from recent years, many go back 10 years or more. Despite a few quibbles, this is an excellent look at an engaging area of science that should find broad readership and use.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI

School Library Journal

This ambitious exploration of archaeology approaches the popular subject through four important discoveries of hominin skeletons in the past 30 years. The famous finds, located on three continents and dated 1.6 million to 5,300 years old, include Turkana Boy, the most complete Homo erectus yet discovered; Lapedo Child, a Paleolithic ritual burial; Kennewick Man, whose bones became the subject of a major legal battle; and the Iceman, which had skin as well as bones preserved under a glacier. Since each of the discoveries could merit an entire book, the coverage is at once tantalizing and frustrating. The authors, both professors, provide a narrative about each discovery, describe the process of studying the remains and discuss scientific debates about broad implications of the finds. They tackle large topics in too little space while also straining to add a conversational tone that sometimes falls flat. The study's strength is in the fascinating details and in its potential for inspiring readers to learn more. Unfortunately, suggestions for further reading are primarily books written for adults, although website recommendations are more helpful. Infrequent color photographs add information. (timeline, glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12-15)

Kirkus Reviews