Processes in Human Evolution

Processes in Human Evolution PDF

Author: Francisco José Ayala

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 585

ISBN-13: 0198739907

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Updated and rewritten version of first edition, published under title: Human evolution: trails from the past (Oxford biology) / Camilo J. Cela-Conde and Francisco J. Ayala. 2007.

Processes in Human Evolution

Processes in Human Evolution PDF

Author: Francisco J. Ayala

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2017-03-01

Total Pages: 536

ISBN-13: 0191060453

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The discoveries of the last decade have brought about a completely revised understanding of human evolution due to the recent advances in genetics, palaeontology, ecology, archaeology, geography, and climate science. Written by two leading authorities in the fields of physical anthropology and molecular evolution, Processes in Human Evolution presents a reconsidered overview of hominid evolution, synthesising data and approaches from a range of inter-disciplinary fields. The authors pay particular attention to population migrations - since these are crucial in understanding the origin and dispersion of the different genera and species in each continent - and to the emergence of the lithic cultures and their impact on the evolution of cognitive capacities. Processes in Human Evolution is intended as a primary textbook for university courses on human evolution, and may also be used as supplementary reading in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses. It is also suitable for a more general audience seeking a readable but up-to-date and inclusive treatment of human origins and evolution.

Human Evolution

Human Evolution PDF

Author: Steven J. C. Gaulin

Publisher:

Published: 2016-09-12

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 9781516550159

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Human Evolution: Processes and Adaptations is designed for introductory courses in biological anthropology. The book develops the theory and methods of the modern evolutionist and, with many clear examples, shows how to apply them to make sense of the biological traits that define our species. Featuring a scientific, issue-oriented perspective on human evolution - how it works, what it can and cannot do, and what it reveals about human nature - this textbook uses engaging analogies to make current research accessible to beginning students. This fourth edition includes new or expanded chapters on fossils and on genetics. More than a mere survey of the requisite topics, this book weaves the threads of natural selection, genetics, adaptation, speciation, classification, fossils, and human behavior into a coherent picture where each element usefully illuminates the others. In an approachable 250 pages, students learn not just the subject matter of biological anthropology, but acquire an evolutionary tool kit they can use to explore any biological question. Use of this tool kit is modeled through analyses that are of topical interest to the students, such as sex and sexuality. Human Evolution is a fresh, stand-alone text with key concepts depicted in more than 90 illustrations, and is designed to stimulate instructors and students alike. Prerecorded video lectures are available for each chapter of the book. Steven J. C. Gaulin earned his Ph.D. in biological anthropology at Harvard University, and is currently a professor in the Integrative Anthropological Sciences Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Gaulin has authored more than 100 scholarly articles, served for a decade as editor-in-chief of Evolution and Human Behavior, and recently won his university's highest teaching award.

Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution

Understanding Climate's Influence on Human Evolution PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2010-04-17

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 0309148383

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The hominin fossil record documents a history of critical evolutionary events that have ultimately shaped and defined what it means to be human, including the origins of bipedalism; the emergence of our genus Homo; the first use of stone tools; increases in brain size; and the emergence of Homo sapiens, tools, and culture. The Earth's geological record suggests that some evolutionary events were coincident with substantial changes in African and Eurasian climate, raising the possibility that critical junctures in human evolution and behavioral development may have been affected by the environmental characteristics of the areas where hominins evolved. Understanding Climate's Change on Human Evolution explores the opportunities of using scientific research to improve our understanding of how climate may have helped shape our species. Improved climate records for specific regions will be required before it is possible to evaluate how critical resources for hominins, especially water and vegetation, would have been distributed on the landscape during key intervals of hominin history. Existing records contain substantial temporal gaps. The book's initiatives are presented in two major research themes: first, determining the impacts of climate change and climate variability on human evolution and dispersal; and second, integrating climate modeling, environmental records, and biotic responses. Understanding Climate's Change on Human Evolution suggests a new scientific program for international climate and human evolution studies that involve an exploration initiative to locate new fossil sites and to broaden the geographic and temporal sampling of the fossil and archeological record; a comprehensive and integrative scientific drilling program in lakes, lake bed outcrops, and ocean basins surrounding the regions where hominins evolved and a major investment in climate modeling experiments for key time intervals and regions that are critical to understanding human evolution.

Becoming Human

Becoming Human PDF

Author: Ian Tattersall

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 9780156006538

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Explores the evolution of humankind--who we are, where we came from, and where we are going.

Culture and the Evolutionary Process

Culture and the Evolutionary Process PDF

Author: Robert Boyd

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1988-06-15

Total Pages: 339

ISBN-13: 0226069338

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How do biological, psychological, sociological, and cultural factors combine to change societies over the long run? Boyd and Richerson explore how genetic and cultural factors interact, under the influence of evolutionary forces, to produce the diversity we see in human cultures. Using methods developed by population biologists, they propose a theory of cultural evolution that is an original and fair-minded alternative to the sociobiology debate.

Human Evolution Beyond Biology and Culture

Human Evolution Beyond Biology and Culture PDF

Author: Jeroen C. J. M. van den Bergh

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2018-10-18

Total Pages: 575

ISBN-13: 1108470971

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A complete account of evolutionary thought in the social, environmental and policy sciences, creating bridges with biology.

Human Evolution

Human Evolution PDF

Author: Camilo J. Cela-Conde

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2007-09-27

Total Pages: 446

ISBN-13: 0198567804

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This book is intended as a comprehensive overview of hominid evolution, synthesising data and approaches from physical anthropology, genetics, archaeology, psychology and philosophy. Human evolution courses are now widespread and this book has the potential to satisfy the requirements of most, particularly at the advanced undergraduate and graduate level. It is based on a translation, albeit with substantial modification, of a successful Spanish language book.

Pattern and Process in Cultural Evolution

Pattern and Process in Cultural Evolution PDF

Author: Stephen Shennan

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 9780520255999

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This volume offers an integrative approach to the application of evolutionary theory in studies of cultural transmission and social evolution and reveals the enormous range of ways in which Darwinian ideas can lead to productive empirical research, the touchstone of any worthwhile theoretical perspective. While many recent works on cultural evolution adopt a specific theoretical framework, such as dual inheritance theory or human behavioral ecology, Pattern and Process in Cultural Evolution emphasizes empirical analysis and includes authors who employ a range of backgrounds and methods to address aspects of culture from an evolutionary perspective. Editor Stephen Shennan has assembled archaeologists, evolutionary theorists, and ethnographers, whose essays cover a broad range of time periods, localities, cultural groups, and artifacts.