The Emergence of Humans
An Exploration of the Evolutionary Timeline
Published on 1. March 2010
338 pages
978-0-470-68288-3 (ISBN)
Description
The Emergence of Humans is an accessible, informativeintroduction to the scientific study of human evolution. It takesthe reader through time following the emergence of the modern humanspecies Homo sapiens from primate roots. Acknowledging thecontroversy surrounding the interpretation of the fossil record,the authors present a balanced approach in an effort to do justiceto different views.
Each chapter covers a significant time period of evolutionaryhistory and includes relevant techniques from other disciplinesthat have applications to the field of human evolution.Self-assessment questions linked to learning outcomes are providedfor each chapter, together with further reading and reference tokey sources in the primary literature. The book will thus beeffective both as a conventional textbook and for independentstudy.
Written by two authors with a wealth of teaching experienceThe Emergence of Humans will prove invaluable to students inthe biological and natural sciences needing a clear, balancedintroduction to the study of human evolution.
Reviews / Votes
"But few current volumes offer the flexibility inherent in thesheer comprehensiveness of The Emergence of Humans. In thisremarkably compact volume, Ash and Robinson, both of whom teach atthe U.K.'s Open University, cover (in varying depth) virtuallyeverything that a focused course in this subject might want toaddress, while avoiding related areas of anthropology." (TheQuarterly Review of Biology, 1 March 2011) "The Emergence of Humans is an accessible, informativeintroduction to the scientific study of human evolution. . .written by two authors with a wealth of teaching experience TheEmergence of Humans will prove invaluable to students in thebiological and natural sciences needing a clear, balancedintroduction to the study of human evolution. Recommendation:would make a good undergraduate level textbook." (The BirdbookerReport, 16 November 2010) "More details
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04/2010
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Persons
Dr. Patricia J. Ash, The Open University in the South, UK and Dr. David J. Robinson<.strong>, Department of Life Sciences, The Open University, UK.
Content
Preface.
Introduction.
1 The first human fossils.
1.1 Summary.
2 The geological context.
2.1 The geological time scale.
2.2 Movement of the continents.
2.3 Fossilization.
2.4 Dating.
2.5 Dating techniques.
2.6 Habitats and environment.
2.7 Climate changes and long term cycles.
2.8 Summary.
3 Evolution and natural selection.
3.1 Darwin and the origin of species by natural selection.
3.2 The modern synthesis of evolution.
3.3 Inheritance of characters.
3.4 Population genetics.
3.5 Geographic isolation and speciation.
4 65-40 Mya: Primate and arthropoid origins.
4.1 The Scadentia and Plesiadapiformes.
4.2 The emergence of primates.
4.3 Ancient primates.
4.4 Dentition of ancient primates.
4.5 The most ancient arthropoid?
4.6 Evolutionary relationships of Adapiformes, Omomyiformes andArthropoids.
4.7 Classification of primates.
4.8 Summary.
5 40-8 Mya: Arthropoids and humanoids.
5.1 Introduction.
5.2 Radiation of the Arthropoids and other primates.
5.3 Use of cladistics for identifying evolutionary relationshipsin primate groups.
5.4 Social structures in primate groups.
5.5 The hominoidea.
5.6 Conclusion.
6 8-4.4 Mya: Who were the ancestors of the hominins?
6.1 The first hominin: Toumai?
6.2 The first hominin: Orrorin?
6.3 Another first hominin: Ardipithecus kadabba.
6.4 Ardipithecus ramidus.
6.5 An un-named hominin from Lothagam.
6.6 Evolutionary relationships of the early hominins.
6.7 Conclusion.
7 4.2-3.0 Mya: Adaptive radiation of hominins.
7.1 The Australopiths.
7.2 The first Australopiths: Australopithecus anamensis.
7.3 Australopithecus afarensis; a possible ancestor of Homo?
7.4 The flat-faced skull from Kenya.
7.5 Australopithecus Africanus.
7.6 Sterkfontein and the 'Little Foot' discovery.
7.7 Conclusion.
8 3.0-1.0 Mya: Emergence and diversification of thegenus.
8.1 The robust Australopiths.
8.2 Paranthropus boisei.
8.3 Paranthropus aethiopicus.
8.4 Australopithecus garhi.
8.5 Tools and tool technologies.
8.6 Australopiths in the human lineage.
8.7 Early Homo.
8.8 Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis.
8.9 Homo rudolfensis and Kenyanthropus platyops.
8.10 Radiation of Homo species.
8.11 Homo ergaster and Homo erectus.
8.12 Did Homo erectus return to Africa?
8.13 Conclusion.
9 1.0 Mya: 700 000 years ago.
9.1 Introduction.
9.2 Persistence of Homo erectus in Africa and East Asia.
9.3 Homo antecessor in Spain.
9.4 The Ceprano hominin calvaria.
9.5 Conclusion.
10 700 00 ya.-130 000 ya: Emergence of new species ofHomo.
10.1 Introduction.
10.2 The emergence and migration of Homo heidelbergensis.
10.3 The discovery of Neandertals.
10.4 The emergence of modern Homo sapiens.
10.5 Conclusion.
11 130-10 000 years ago: Homo sapiens out of Africa.
11.1 Introduction.
11.2 The role of genetic studies.
11.3 Studying artifacts.
11.4 Modern Homo sapiens in Africa.
11.5 Neandertals and modern Homo sapiens in Western Africa andMiddle East.
11.6 Neandertals and modern Homo sapiens in Europe.
11.7 Modern humans and Neandertals in Central Asia.
11.8 South East Asia and Australasia.
11.9 A new species of Homo?
11.10 East Asia.
11.11 Modern humans arrive in the Americas.
11.12 Conclusion.
12 Coda.
Glossary.
