Explaining Human Origins

Explaining Human Origins PDF

Author: Wiktor Stoczkowski

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2002-06-20

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 9780521657303

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Wiktor Stoczkowski, a palaeo-anthropologist, argues that the theories of human origins developed by archaeologists and physical anthropologists from the early nineteenth century to the present day are structurally similar to Western folk theories, and to the speculations of earlier philosophers. Reviewing a remarkable range of thinkers writing in a variety of European languages, he makes a convincing argument for this case. Even though the book criticises the lack of development in theories of human origins, its conclusion is optimistic about the power of the scientific approach to deliver more reliable theories - but only if the influences of popular discourse on its thinking are properly identified.

Human Origins

Human Origins PDF

Author: New Scientist

Publisher: Nicholas Brealey

Published: 2018-05-29

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 147367042X

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Where did we come from? Where are we going? Homo sapiens is the most successful, the most widespread and the most influential species ever to walk the Earth. In the blink of an evolutionary eye we have spread around the globe, taken control of Earth's biological and mineral resources, transformed the environment, discovered the secrets of the universe and travelled into space. Yet just 7 million years ago, we were just another species of great ape making a quiet living in the forests of East Africa. We do not know exactly what this ancestor was like, but it was no more likely than a chimpanzee or gorilla to sail across the ocean, write a symphony, invent a steam engine or ponder the meaning of existence. How did we get from there to here? The Story of Human Origins recounts the most astonishing evolutionary tale ever told. Discover how our ancestors made the first tentative steps towards becoming human, how we lost our fur but gained language, fire and tools, how we strode out of Africa, invented farming and cities and ultimately created modern civilization - perhaps the only one of its kind in the Universe. Meet your long-lost ancestors, the other humans who once shared the planet with us, and learn where the story might end.

Science and Human Origins

Science and Human Origins PDF

Author: Ann Gauger

Publisher: Discovery Institute

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781936599042

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Evidence for a purely Darwinian account of human origins is supposed to be overwhelming. But is it? In this provocative book, three scientists challenge the claim that undirected natural selection is capable of building a human being, critically assess fossil and genetic evidence that human beings share a common ancestor with apes, and debunk recent claims that the human race could not have started from an original couple.

The Truth about Human Origins

The Truth about Human Origins PDF

Author: Brad Harrub

Publisher: Apologetics Press Inc.

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 531

ISBN-13: 0932859585

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Ever since Charles Darwin first published The Origin of Species on November 24, 1859, the subject of origins has been one of the most controversial topics around. Sadly, it also is a subject that is fraught with erroneous theories and concepts. Most students today are taught that organic evolution is not a theory, but a "fact" that all "reputable scientists" accept. Disclaimers from the evolutionary community notwithstanding, such a claim is, quite simply, wrong. We believe it is time for someone to offer what renowned news commentator Paul Harvey would call "the rest of the story." That is what The Truth About Human Origins does. It tells the rest of the story as it discusses the scientific facts about mankind's beginning. For example, it investigates the "record of the rocks" as that record relates to human evolution. It demonstrates how evolutionary theory is unable to explain things like the origin of gender and sexual reproduction, the origin of language and communication, the origin of the brain, the mind, and human consciousness, and the origin of skin colors and blood types. It also examines in an in-depth fashion the so-called "molecular evidence" of human evolution.

What Does it Mean to be Human?

What Does it Mean to be Human? PDF

Author: Richard Potts

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 1426206062

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This generously illustrated book tells the story of the human family, showing how our species' physical traits and behaviors evolved over millions of years as our ancestors adapted to dramatic environmental changes. In What Does It Means to Be Human? Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program, and Chris Sloan, National Geographic's paleoanthropolgy expert, delve into our distant past to explain when, why, and how we acquired the unique biological and cultural qualities that govern our most fundamental connections and interactions with other people and with the natural world. Drawing on the latest research, they conclude that we are the last survivors of a once-diverse family tree, and that our evolution was shaped by one of the most unstable eras in Earth's environmental history. The book presents a wealth of attractive new material especially developed for the Hall's displays, from life-like reconstructions of our ancestors sculpted by the acclaimed John Gurche to photographs from National Geographic and Smithsonian archives, along with informative graphics and illustrations. In coordination with the exhibit opening, the PBS program NOVA will present a related three-part television series, and the museum will launch a website expected to draw 40 million visitors.

Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins

Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins PDF

Author: Carl Zimmer

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Published: 2007-02-06

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780061196676

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From the savannas of Africa to modern-day labs for biomechanical analysis and molecular genetics, Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins reveals how anthropologists are furiously redrawing the human family tree. Their discoveries have spawned a host of new questions: Should chimpanzees be included as a human species? Was it the physical difficulty of human childbirth that encouraged the development of social groups in early human species? Did humans and Neanderthals interbreed? Why did humans supplant Neanderthals in the end? In answering such questions, Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins sheds new light on one of the most important questions of all: What makes us human?

Human Evolution

Human Evolution PDF

Author: Bernard A. Wood

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 131

ISBN-13: 9780191775840

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This introduction traces the history of paleoanthropology from its beginnings in the 18th century to the latest fossil finds. It concentrates on the fossil evidence for human evolution making reference to the relevant archaeological evidence when appropriate.

Everything You Know Is Wrong

Everything You Know Is Wrong PDF

Author: Lloyd Pye

Publisher: Writer's Showcase Press

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780595127498

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The origin of life, particularly human life, is one of today’s most intensely debated subjects. Ironically, that debate has only two socially acceptable sides: Darwinism and Creationism. Darwinists support the detailed observations and speculations of a brilliant naturalist, while Creationists support the various interpreters of the Bible’s scriptural teachings. Despite the passion and intellect exhibited by both sides as they defend their positions, millions of people remain unconvinced by the arguments of either. For those individuals, it is time to present a viable, comprehensive, third option, Rationalism, which is the formation of ideas and opinions based on evidence and reasoning rather than on secular authority or divine revelation. Everything You Know Is Wrong stakes out a solid, defendable, entirely new position in the debate about life origins and human origins. That position is bolstered by an astonishing array of scientific facts either unmentioned or conspicuously ignored by the two currently entrenched camps. By utilizing such a fact-based format, this book’s presentation of Rationalism offers a far more convincing explanation for the origins of life, and particularly of human life, than Darwinism or Creationism ever have….or ever will.

The Evolution of the Human Head

The Evolution of the Human Head PDF

Author: Daniel Lieberman

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2011-01-03

Total Pages: 769

ISBN-13: 0674046366

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Exhaustively researched and years in the making, this innovative book documents how the many components of the head function, how they evolved since we diverged from the apes, and how they interact in diverse ways both functionally and developmentally, causing them to be highly integrated. This integration not only permits the head's many units to accommodate each other as they grow and work, but also facilitates evolutionary change. Lieberman shows how, when, and why the major transformations evident in the evolution of the human head occurred. The special way the head is integrated, Lieberman argues, made it possible for a few developmental shifts to have had widespread effects on craniofacial growth, yet still permit the head to function exquisitely. --

The Origins of Humankind

The Origins of Humankind PDF

Author: Stephen Tomkins

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1998-07-23

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 9780521466769

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The text starts explaining the theory of evolution and further chapters discuss the human journey.