The Wisdom of Bones
In Search of Human Origins
Weidenfeld & Nicolson (Publisher)
Published on 15. April 1996
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-297-81670-6 (ISBN)
Description
This work tells the story of the excavation of the "Nariokotome Boy", found in Kenya in 1984 by Richard Leakey and Walker, and the most complete skeleton of Homo erectus ever found. The book also details the detective work that followed the find and the insights into our species that were revealed. The "Nariokotome Boy" has been able to tell scientists more about the human past than any other fossil so far. Instead of a human trapped in an ape body, Walker and his team found an animal in a human body - a small brain, but with legs, pelvis and torso that were astonishingly human, along with a thoroughly human adaptation to his tropical climate in terms of body build and heat disposition. The animal had mastered the human "trick" of growing a human brain at foetal rates, something no true animal can do. They also discovered that the Boy was speechless, a fact contradicting the accepted wisdom that language acquisition marks the origin of humankind.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
8pp b&w illustration
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 165 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
624 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-297-81670-6 (9780297816706)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Previous edition
Ronald Hayman | Carole Hayman
Missing Links, Finding Links
Book
11/1995
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
€43.53
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
Pat Shipman is an anthropologist at Pennsylvania State University.