Human evolution : trails from the past / Camilo J. Cela-Conde and Francisco J. Ayala.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cela Conde, Camilo José.

Contributor:

Ayala, Francisco José, 1934-

John G. Hartman Memorial Library Fund.

Series:

Oxford biology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fossil hominids.

Paleoanthropology.

Human evolution.

Hominidae.

Evolution.

Medical Subjects:

Hominidae.

Evolution.

Physical Description:

vii, 437 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2007.

Summary:

Human Evolution provides a comprehensive overview of hominid evolution, synthesizing data and approaches from fields as diverse as physical anthropology, evolutionary biology, molecular biology, genetics, archaeology, psychology and philosophy. The book starts with chapters on evolution, population genetics, systematics, and the methods for constructing evolutionary trees. These are followed by a comprehensive review of the fossil history of human evolution since our divergence from the apes. Subsequent chapters cover more recent data, both fossil and molecular, relating to the evolution of modern humans. A final section describes the evolution of culture, language, art, and morality.

The authors are leading experts in two complementary fields of scholarship, physical anthropology and molecular evolution. Throughout the book they successfully integrate their expertise in evolutionary theory, phylogenetics, genomics, cultural evolution, language, aesthetics and morality to produce a cutting edge textbook, copiously illustrated and with an extensive and up-to-date bibliography. It will be suitable for both senior undergraduate and graduate level students taking courses on human evolution within departments of biology, anthropology, psychology and philosophy. The book will also appeal to a more general audience seeking a readable, up-to-date and inclusive treatment of human origins and evolution.

Contents:

Preface : Homo sapiens, the rational animal

Evolution, genetics, and systematics

The evolution of hominoids

The hominin lineage

Miocene and Pliocene genera and species

Pliocene hominins : South Africa and the Rift Valley

The Pliocene cladogenesis : paranthropus versus homo

The radiation of homo

Evolutionary characteristics of the erectus grade

The late-Pleistocene transition

The uniqueness of being human.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 377-417) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the John G. Hartman Memorial Library Fund.

ISBN:

0198567790

0198567804

9780198567790

9780198567806

OCLC:

141379836