Human Origins 101

by Holly M. Dunsworth

Overview

What should the average person know about science? Because science is so central to life in the 21st century, science educators and other leaders of the scientific community believe that it is essential that everyone understand the basic concepts of the most vital and far-reaching disciplines. Human Origins 101 does exactly that. This accessible volume provides readers - whether students new to the field or just interested members of the lay public - with the essential ideas of the origins of humans using a minimum of jargon and mathematics. Concepts are introduced in a progressive order so that more complicated ideas build on simpler ones, and each is discussed in small, bite-sized segments so that they can be more easily understood.

Human Origins 101 enables students and the general public to understand the basic concepts underlying our knowledge of our evolution as a species. This small volume covers:
; A brief history of paleoanthropology, and the discovery of human's place in nature
; Evolution and the Origin of Life
; Clues to human origins from genetics
; The fossil and archaeological records
; The distinctive traits that makes us human
; The diversity of modern humans
With a bibliography, glossary, and discussion of hoaxes, fringe theories, and hot-button issues, Human Origins 101 provides the perfect starting point for anyone wishing to understand how scientists know how humans evolved.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313336737
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/30/2007
Series:	Science 101
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Holly M. Dunsworth is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the Pennsylvania State University. When not collecting fossils in Kenya or the Republic of Georgia, she uses sophisticated imaging technology to look at their inner structures. By interpreting clues from the outer and inner anatomy of bones, she reconstructs the biology and behavior of fossil monkeys, apes, and hominins to better understand how humans arrived at their present state.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword     xi
Preface     xiii
Acknowledgments     xvii
Introduction     xix
A Brief Overview of the Search for Human Origins     1
The Science of Human Origins and Evolution     1
Scientific Method     2
Forefathers     5
Piltdown     9
Dubois and Beyond     10
Current Issues     13
From Fish to Fishermen     17
Evidence for Evolution     17
Biogeography     18
Fossils and Geology     19
Artificial Selection     19
Homology and Analogy     19
Vestigial Traits     21
Embryology     21
Natural Selection     22
Variation     23
Heredity     23
Differential Fitness     24
Adaptation     24
From Mendel to the Modern Synthesis     25
DNA, Chromosomes, Cells, and Inheritance     27
Forces of Evolution     30
Mutation     30
Gene Flow     31
Genetic Drift     31
Selection     31
Sexual Selection     32
Speciation     34
Clarifying Evolution     37
Taxonomy and Classification     38
Primates     41
Monkeys and Apes     44
Prehistoric Evidence     47
What Is a Fossil?     47
Geology and Dating Methods     50
Climate Change and Paleoenvironment     54
The Earliest Primates and Fossil Monkeys     55
Fossil Apes     57
Bushes and Trees     61
The Last Common Ancestor     62
Quadrupedal to Bipedal     64
The Earliest Hominins     65
Sahelanthropus     67
Orrorin     69
Ardipithecus     69
Australopiths     70
Australopithecus anamensis     72
Australopithecus afarensis     73
Australopithecus africanus     75
Australopithecus garhi     77
Paranthropus (Robust Australopiths)     78
The Human Genus     80
Homo erectus     82
Archaic Homo Sapiens     86
Neanderthals     88
Stone Tools     90
Anatomically Modern Humans     93
Homo Floresiensis      95
Modern Evidence     97
Molecular Clocks     97
Humans and Chimpanzees: The Narrow Divide     99
Mitochondrial Eve and Y-Chromosome Adam     102
Human Adaptation     105
Sickle Cell Trait     106
Lactose Tolerance     106
Skin Color     107
Ancient DNA and the Neanderthal Genome     109
Interpreting the Evidence     113
Big Brains and Intelligence     113
Evolutionary Psychology     117
Bipedalism     118
Reduced Body Hair     122
Body Size, Shape, and Strength     124
Teeth     126
Tool Use     128
Diet     131
Scavenging and Hunting     133
Fire     136
Reproduction     137
Language     140
Human Revolution     143
Altruism and the Human Colony     146
War or Peace?     148
Beyond Human Origins     151
Multiregional and Out of Africa Models     151
Worldwide Dispersal     155
Will We Evolve or Will We Go Extinct?     158
Deep Impact     160
Rewinding and Replaying Evolution     162
Human and Chimpanzee Skeletal Anatomy     165
Geologic Time Scale     167
Recommended Resources     169
Glossary     171
Selected Bibliography     179
Index     185

Editorial Reviews

Dunsworth offers students and general readers an introductory exploration of human origins and evolution. Coverage includes a brief history of the search for human origins and human evolutionary studies; evolutionary theory and Darwin's formulation of the theory of evolution by natural selection and by sexual selection; fossil and archaeological records; recent advances that the field of genetics has made in understanding human origins and evolution; and ways of interpreting the evidence from living animal models, fossils, artifacts, and genetics.” —Reference & Research Book News

“Human Origins 101 provides a comprehensive look at our understandings of human origins and the evidence we use to support them. It is well researched and comprehensive, filling an important gap in most science programs….This book represents a compact and complete reference to human paleontology and would be an excellent addition to a library. Many of the books currently available do not do such a thorough job….” —National Science Teachers Association

From the Publisher