Integrative Approaches to Human Health and Evolution

"Integrative Approaches to Human Health and Evolution" contains the proceedings of the Fundacion Ramon Areces International Symposium, which was held April 18-20, 2005 in Madrid, Spain. Human biology is so complex, and poses problems so great, that advances in human health and evolution ought to be shared in the context of a renewed integrative research campaign. Currently however, members of the social, life, physical, and medical science communities frequently investigate issues separately from one another, overlooking important connections to neighboring disciplines. This book brings together a collection of papers written by participants of the symposium who have focused upon bone and craniofacial biology, genetics, paleopathology and disease, psychology, and life history approaches to human health and evolution subject areas. The difference between interdisciplinary and integrative approaches is one that symposium participants tackled. Interdisciplinary approaches bring two or more fields to bear on a subject.
This brings collegiality and efficiency to scientific research but it does not necessarily result in significant cooperation, sharing, or material impact on one subject arising from the activities of another. Integrative approaches, on the other hand, do not exhibit a discrete interface. Rather, the subjects seem miscible. Interactions are promoted that lead to investigative research at all scales and in all directions of science. Participants exhibit a spectrum of approaches, but one outcome of the symposium is that integrative research is more efficacious and that its future is bright. "Integrative Approaches to Human Health and Evolution" integrates medical and evolutionary themes, contains broad subject areas, from psychology to palaeontology and provides a model for integrative research initiatives. This book will be valued by both researchers and those interested in Evolutionary Medicine and Human Evolution.