The development of populations over time, and, on longer timescales, the evolution of species, are both influenced by a complex of interacting, underlying processes. Computer simulation provides a means of experimenting within an idealised framework to allow aspects of these processes and their interactions to be isolated, controlled, and understood. In this 2005 book, computer simulation is used to model migration, extinction, fossilisation, interbreeding, selection and non-hereditary effects in the context of human populations and the observed distribution of fossil and current hominoid species. The simulations described enable the visualisation and study of lineages, genetic diversity in populations, character diversity across species and the accuracy of reconstructions, allowing insights into human evolution and the origins of humankind for graduate students and researchers in the fields of physical anthropology, human evolution, and human genetics.
• Author is well known in the field, and his research has attracted a lot of attention • Author to host a website connected with the book, accessible from www.cambridge.org/9780521843997
Contents
1. Introduction; Part I. Simulating Species: 2. Overview; 3. Simulation design; 4. Running the simulation; 5. Simulating diversity; 6. Simulating migration; 7. Discussion; Part II. Simulating Genealogies: 8. Overview; 9. Simulation design; 10. Simulating a single population; 11. Simulating multiple populations; 12. Adding genetics to the genealogy; 13. Discussion; Part III. Bibliography and Index.
Reviews
Review of the hardback: '… Wessen's simulation of human evolution will be a useful reference for phylogenetic systematicists, human geneticists, physical anthropologists and primatologists, and paleoarchaeologists who want to think deeply about both the power and limits of reconstructing human history from currently available data and with contemporary tools.' BioScience
Review of the hardback: ' … the results presented by Ken Wessen really force us to be sceptical about our human lineage … this book is a good read for everybody with an overly optimistic view of our knowledge of human history …' www.PalArch.nl
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