50 great myths of human evolution : understanding misconceptions about our origins / John H. Relethford.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Relethford, John, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human evolution.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (304 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

West Sussex, England : Wiley Blackwell, 2017.

Summary:

50 Great Myths of Human Evolution uses common misconceptions to explore basic theory and research in human evolution and strengthen critical thinking skills for lay readers and students. * Examines intriguing-yet widely misunderstood-topics, from general ideas about evolution and human origins to the evolution of modern humans and recent trends in the field * Describes what fossils, archaeology, and genetics can tell us about human origins * Demonstrates the ways in which science adapts and changes over time to incorporate new evidence and better explanations * Includes myths such as "Humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs;" "Lucy was so small because she was a child;" "Our ancestors have always made fire;" and "There is a strong relationship between brain size and intelligence" * Comprised of stand-alone essays that are perfect for casual reading, as well as footnotes and references that allow readers to delve more deeply into topics

Contents:

Intro

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

Preface

Introduction: Myths and misconceptions (or how and why I wrote this book)

Chapter 1 Ideas about Evolution

Myth 1 Evolution is a theory, not a fact

Myth 2 Evolution is completely random

Myth 3 All evolutionary changes are adaptive

Myth 4 In evolution, bigger is always better

Myth 5 Natural selection always works

Myth 6 Some species are more evolved than are others

Myth 7 Humans lived at the same time as the dinosaurs

Notes

Chapter 2 Human Origins

Myth 8 If apes evolved into humans, then apes should not exist today

Myth 9 "Ramapithecus " was a human ancestor

Myth 10 Humans and African apes split from each other over 15 million years ago

Myth 11 Gigantopithecus was the ancestor of "Bigfoot" (assuming Bigfoot exists)

Myth 12 Human traits all evolved at the same time

Myth 13 Large brains evolved very early in human evolution

Myth 14 The common ancestor of African apes and humans walked like a chimpanzee

Myth 15 Bipedalism first evolved on the African grasslands

Myth 16 Lucy was so small because she was a child

Myth 17 Australopithecus was a killer ape

Myth 18 Human evolution can be described as a "ladder"

Myth 19 All hominin species have probably been discovered

Myth 20 There are no transitional fossils in human evolution

Chapter 3 Evolution of the Genus Homo

Myth 21 Only one species of Homo lived 2 million years ago

Myth 22 Early Homo had modern human brain size

Myth 23 Only humans are toolmakers and have culture

Myth 24 We can identify species by the stone tools they made

Myth 25 Homo habilis definitely made shelter

Myth 26 Our ancestors have always made fire

Myth 27 Early humans got all of their meat from hunting

Myth 28 Species with larger brow ridges are more ape-like.

Myth 29 Neandertals walked bent over and were dumb brutes

Myth 30 Neandertals definitely could not speak

Myth 31 Modern humans appeared first in Eurasia

Myth 32 "Mitochondrial Eve" is our only common female ancestor

Myth 33 Neandertals did not interbreed with modern humans

Myth 34 We do not need fossils any more to learn about human evolution

Myth 35 All recent human species had large brains

Chapter 4 Recent and Future Human Evolution

Myth 36 Each of us has billions of distinct ancestors

Myth 37 The first Americans came from Europe or the Middle East

Myth 38 The first Polynesians came from South America

Myth 39 The origin of agriculture led to an improvement in health

Myth 40 Civilization has been influenced by extraterrestrials

Myth 41 The recent increase in life expectancy was due initially to antibiotics

Myth 42 There are three distinct shades of human skin color

Myth 43 Biological race is useful for understanding human variation

Myth 44 All African Americans have the same genetic history

Myth 45 Genetic ancestry is the same thing as cultural identity

Myth 46 Sickle cell Anemia is a "black disease"

Myth 47 There is a strong genetic relationship between brain size and intelligence test scores

Myth 48 Humans are no longer evolving

Myth 49 Blond hair will eventually disappear

Myth 50 We can predict future human evolution

References

Index

EULA.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780470673928

0470673923

9781119308034

1119308038

9780470673911

0470673915