
The Improbable Primate
How Water Shaped Human Evolution
Clive Finlayson(Autor*in)
Oxford University Press
Erschienen am 21. Januar 2016
Buch
Softcover
224 Seiten
978-0-19-874389-7 (ISBN)
Beschreibung
Taking an ecological approach to our evolution, Clive Finlayson considers the origins of modern humans within the context of a drying climate and changing landscapes. Finlayson argues that environmental change, particularly availability of water, played a critical role in shaping the direction of human evolution, contributing to our spread and success. He argues that our ancestors carved a niche for themselves by leaving the forest and forcing their way into a long-established community of carnivores in a tropical savannah as climate changes opened up the landscape. They took their chance at high noon, when most other predators were asleep. Adapting to this new lifestyle by shedding their hair and developing an active sweating system to keep cool, being close to fresh water was vital. As the climate dried, our ancestors, already bipedal, became taller and slimmer, more adept at travelling farther in search of water. The challenges of seeking water in a drying landscape moulded the minds and bodies of early humans, and directed their migrations and eventual settlements.
In this fresh and provocative view of a seven-million-year evolutionary journey, Finlayson demonstrates the radical implications for the interpretation of fossils and technologies and shows that understanding humans within an ecological context provides insights into the emergence and spread of Homo sapiens sapiens worldwide.
In this fresh and provocative view of a seven-million-year evolutionary journey, Finlayson demonstrates the radical implications for the interpretation of fossils and technologies and shows that understanding humans within an ecological context provides insights into the emergence and spread of Homo sapiens sapiens worldwide.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
Finlayson writes in a dry, clear, scholarly style which somehow accentuates the sheer improbability of humanity's long journey * Brandon Robshaw, Independent on Sunday *Weitere Details
Sprache
Englisch
Verlagsort
Oxford
Großbritannien
Illustrationen
Approx 13 black and white illustrations
Maße
Höhe: 196 mm
Breite: 128 mm
Dicke: 20 mm
Gewicht
167 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-874389-7 (9780198743897)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
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03/2014
Oxford University Press
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Person
Clive Finlayson is a noted expert on the Neanderthals and has been researching their final stand in Gibraltar. He is Director of the Gibraltar Museum and Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, having trained in Oxford as an evolutionary ecologist. His previous books include Neanderthals and Modern Humans: An Ecological and Evolutinary Perspective (CUP, 2004) and The Humans Who Went Extinct (OUP, 2009).
Inhalt
PREFACE