Principles of Human Evolution

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Principles of Human Evolution presents an in-depthintroduction to paleoanthropology and the study of human evolution.Focusing on the fundamentals of evolutionary theory and how theseapply to ecological, molecular genetic, paleontological andarcheological approaches to important questions in the field, thistimely textbook will help students gain a perspective on humanevolution in the context of modern biological thinking. The second edition of this successful text features the additionof Robert Foley, a leading researcher in Human EvolutionaryStudies, to the writing team. Strong emphasis on evolutionarytheory, ecology and behavior and scores of new examples reflect thelatest evolutionary theories and recent archaeological finds. Morethan a simple update, the new edition is organized by issue ratherthan chronology, integrating behavior, adaptation and anatomy. Anew design and new figure references make this edition moreaccessible for students and instructors. * * New author, Robert Foley - leading figure in HumanEvolutionary Studies - joins the writing team. * Dedicated website - www.blackwellpublishing.com/lewin- provides study resources and artwork downloadable forPowerpoint presentations. * Beyond the Facts boxes - explore key scientific debatesin greater depth. * Margin Comments - indicate the key points in eachsection. * Key Questions - review and test students' knowledgeof central chapter concepts and help focus the way a studentapproaches reading the text. * New emphasis on ecological and behavioral evolution - inkeeping with modern research. * Fully up to date with recent fossil finds and interpretations;integration of genetic and paleoanthropological approaches.

Autor*in

Robert Andrew Foley

Themen in »Principles of Human Evolution«

Animal Development Biowissenschaften Evolution des Menschen Human Evolution Life Sciences Zoologie / Individualentwicklung

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Review from Times Higher Education Supplement, February2004 -Alan Bilsborough, University of Durham Human evolutionary studies now encompasses such wide-rangingsubject matter that accounts confined to simple narrations of thefossil record no longer suffice, while the pace of discoverycreates a continuing demand for clear, balanced introductions tothe subject. This book's authors - an expert science communicatorand a researcher who has had a major influence in broadeningtheoretical perspectives on human evolution - form a dream team toguide us through the subject's complexities. This much-expanded second edition of an established text differsfrom its predecessor and virtually every other treatment in itsrange and its emphasis on principles, whether of evolutionarytheory, phylogenetics, behaviour, ecology or comparativeframeworks. Whereas most accounts condense such fundamentals intoan abbreviated introduction before homing in on the hominid fossilrecord, this book dedicates some 200 pages, or about 40 per cent ofthe text, to the subject. The approach is to view human evolutionas exemplifying general evolutionary forces and processes thatimpact on hominids as on other species, not to treat humanevolution as a one-off case for which issues of evolutionarydynamics, adaptation, ecology and so on have little, if any,relevance. The book is impressively broad in scope, well organised andclearly written. Key issues are flagged up, with questionsalongside the text to serve as prompts. Alternative interpretationsare accurately summarised, with a balanced commentary andsufficient facts to indicate each argument's basics withoutoverloading detail. Each chapter ends with a "Beyond the facts" boxsummarising a current issue and its underlying concepts tostimulate further thought. There are reasonable illustrations of important fossil specimensand excellent diagrams that greatly clarify issues of theory andinterpretation. An associated website promises furtherresources. I would have welcomed rather more coverage of the fossilevidence; on the other hand, there is a very clear pr?cis ofgenetic data bearing on modern human origins, and an excellentaccount of cognitive and behavioural aspects of humanevolution. The book is aimed at the US market but will find many takersthis side of the Atlantic among anthropology, archaeology andevolutionary biology students. Inevitably, some aspects willquickly be overtaken by new discoveries. The website, if developed,will help here, but minor obsolescences matter little compared withthe book's great strength, which is to provide readers with anaccessible, secure and comprehensive conceptual framework for humanevolution, within which they can make sense of newdevelopments. Alan Bilsborough, University of Durham, Times HigherEducation Supplement, February 2004
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