Free Downloads How Humans Evolved (Sixth Edition)
The science of human evolution, not just the sites. How Humans Evolved remains the most up-to-date, forward-looking book in physical anthropology. Through a unique and balanced blend of evolutionary theory, population genetics, and behavioral ecology, the authors move beyond merely describing anthropological “finds” to showing students the big picture about how humans lived in the past and why they have evolved into the people they are today. The fully revised and updated Sixth Edition offers the best of current research, including important new coverage of Ardipithecus, the Neanderthal genome, early complex tool-making and symbolic behavior, and much more.
Paperback: 475 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 6 edition (September 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393912272
ISBN-13: 978-0393912272
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.7 x 10.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #158,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #99 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Anthropology > Physical #569 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Anthropology #783 in Books > Science & Math > Evolution
Very thorough overview of human evolution from proto-primates up to modern man, in an accessible format. It's even kind of goofy and funny in spots, which is always a nice trick. We were able to get through the whole book in a single semester.
The very best treatment of human evolution on the marketplace. If this is not the primary text for college freshmen, you're using the wrong text. While simplified in some areas, there is ample treatment of the many anthropological and behavioral theories applying to humans that the graduate student can easily go beyond Boyd and Silk's necessarily condensed presentation. My new copy is already well worn for all the times I use it as a quick reference.
Very beautiful book, nicely printed, lots of illustrations etc. But "How Humans Evolved" does not tell us how humans evolved. The book uncritically adopts several unproven popular preassumptions on human evolution, e.g. the "bipedal dogma" that Ape->Man = African forest->plain (although savanna primates are less vertical than forest ones: the "baboon paradox"). The authors still follow the now outdated view that our ancestors "walked through tall grasses of the African savanna 3 miilion years ago". This is anatomically, physiologically, medically, nutritionally etc. impossible. Fossil, paleo-environmental, physiological & all other data show that human ancestors during the Ice Ages (Pleistocene Homo) did not run over open plains (sweating water + salt = scarce in savannas) as often assumed in popular & even âscientificâ views on human evolution, but simply followed the African & Eurasian coasts & rivers (probably 1.8 mill.yrs ago already at least as far as Java, Georgia, Algeria & Turkana), beach-combing, diving & wading bipedally for littoral, shallow aquatic & waterside foods, rich in brain-specific lipids & iodine, google e.g. "econiche Homo".Another unproven assumption is that Lucy & other australopithecines were our direct ancestors. But are Plio-Pleistocene australopith fossils indeed closer relatives of Homo than of Pan or Gorilla? Fossil-hunters claim to have discovered 1000s of fossils of human ancestors or relatives ("Missing Links"), but virtually 0 fossils of ancestors or relatives of chimps or gorillas, although there must have been plenty of African ape ancestors dwelling in Africa that 5 or so mill.yrs ago. Very very remarkable. A number of anthropologists - independently - donât follow this "official" conventional interpretation, which is based on the assumption that "humanlike" = "derived". In fact, australopithecine humanlike features (thick enamel, rel.small canines, low iliac blades, vertical spine etc.) are not human-derived, but hominoid-primitive. None of the exclusively Homo features (huge brain, external nose, very long legs etc.) are seen in australopithecines. It is now clear that all African hominids (i.e. Pan, Homo, Gorila & their fossil relatives) had more bipedal & vertical ancestors, from which Pan & Gorilla in parallel evolved knuckle-walking & other ape-like (not primitive, but derived!) features. Australopiths are typically found in wetlands, swamp forests, papyrus swamps, lagoons etc., where they - like lowland gorillas in forest bais, but more frequently - waded bipedally for floating herbs, papyrus sedges, frogbit, cattails, hard-shelled invertebrates etc. They climbed arms overhead in the branches above the swamps, explaining in Au.afarensis the curious combination of curved phalanges (for vertical climbing) with a vertical spine (for wading & branch-hanging) & flattened feet (for swimming-wading), google e.g. "researchGate marc verhaegen" or "academia.edu marcverhaegen".Unfortunately a missed opportunity.
It's a decent book for an anthropology class. The only complaint I have is the way the book is organized but it teaches the material which is what you basically hope it does anyway.
I got this for my bio anth class and love all the quality information. It presents info clearly and concisely. I plan to read it again at a later date.
It's a good book overall. They have a website that goes right along with the book. I probably will keep it as reference. I liked it.
Perfect for my class. A lot of information and pretty interesting.
Super fast shipping and great book for an unbeatable rental price!
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