It is generally accepted that the earliest human ancestors grew more like apes than like humans today. If they did so, and we are now different, when, how and why did our modern growth patterns evolve? This book focuses on species within the genus Homo to investigate the evolutionary origins of characteristic human patterns and rates of craniofacial and postcranial growth and development, and to explore unique ontogenetic patterns within each fossil species. Experts examine growth patterns found within available Plio-Pleistocene hominid samples, and analyse variation in ontogenetic patterns and rates of development in recent modern humans in order to provide a comparative context for fossil hominid studies. Presenting studies of some of the newer juvenile fossil specimens and information on Homo antecessor, this book will provide a rich data source with which anthropologists and evolutionary biologists can address the questions posed above.

Review of the hardback:'This volume shows how far research in this area has come in the last few decades … This book is an excellent addition to the literature on growth and development, and a long overdue examination of our own genus's growth and development.'

Source: Osteoarchaeology

Review of the hardback:'This book is an excellent addition to the literature on growth and development, and a long overdue examination of our own genus's growth and development.'

Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology