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The Neandertals (Homo neanderthalensis) are an extinct human species closely related to modern humans. They have the most extensive and well-documented fossil record of any fossil human group, allowing for a detailed understanding of their skeletal anatomy. This book offers a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge on Neandertals, presenting an in-depth exploration of their paleobiology through both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Contributions from leading experts provide detailed examinations of specific anatomical regions, ensuring authoritative and meticulously researched content. Each chapter integrates cutting-edge findings, drawing from extensive research and publication histories. This volume serves as an essential resource for advanced students, scholars, and professionals in anthropology, paleontology, and related fields. Whether as a comprehensive reference or a teaching tool, it is indispensable for those interested in the intricate study of Neandertal anatomy, evolution, and their place in human history.
The fully revised fifth edition of this highly acclaimed undergraduate textbook provides a thought-provoking introduction to evolutionary psychology, while assuming no prior knowledge of evolutionary theory. The authors continue to carefully guide students towards a level of understanding where they can critically apply evolutionary theory to psychological explanation, providing an engaging and balanced discussion of the field. New material has been added on female homosexuality, artificial intelligence and language, cooking and human brain expansion, Covid-19 and rates of evolutionary change, and the effects of digital media on mental health. This edition also has new and revised boxed case studies, many new figures, extra discussion questions, and additional further reading suggestions. The text is accompanied by online resources including an updated test bank and lecture slides, as well as new answers to the end-of-chapter questions. This is essential reading for students taking undergraduate and graduate courses in evolutionary psychology.
Why and how we age are probably two of science's oldest questions, echoing personal beliefs and concerns about our own finitude. From the earliest musings of ancient philosophers to recent pharmacological trials aimed at slowing ageing and prolonging longevity, these questions have fascinated scientists across time and fields of research. Taking advantage of the natural diversity of ageing trajectories, within and across species, this interdisciplinary volume provides a comprehensive view of the recent advances in ageing and longevity through a biodemographic approach. It includes the key facts, theories, ongoing fields of investigation, big questions, and new avenues for research in ageing and longevity, as well as considerations on how extending longevity integrates into the social and environmental challenges that our society faces. This is a useful resource for students and researchers curious to unravel the mysteries of longevity and ageing, from their origins to their consequences, across species, space and time.
No two people are the same, and no two groups of people are the same. But what kinds of differences are there, and what do they mean? What does our DNA say about race, gender, equality, or ancestry? Drawing on the latest discoveries in anthropology and human genetics, Understanding Human Diversity looks at scientific realities and pseudoscientific myths about the patterns of diversity in our species, challenging common misconceptions about genetics, race, and evolution and their role in shaping human life today. By examining nine counterexamples drawn from popular scientific ideas, that is to say, examinations of what we are not, this book leads the reader to an appreciation of what we are. We are hybrids with often inseparable natural and cultural aspects, formed of natural and cultural histories, and evolved from remote ape and recent human ancestors. This book is a must for anyone curious about human genetics, human evolution, and human diversity.
This fifth volume of State of the Apes brings together original research and analysis with topical case studies and emerging best practice to further the ape conservation agenda around disease and health. It provides an overview of relevant disease and health issues and explores factors such as the ethics of intervening in and managing ape health; the impact of research and tourism on apes; the One Health approach; and disaster management and the protection of apes. It shows how the welfare of apes is interrelated with that of the people who share their habitats, while also demonstrating the benefits of integrating ape conservation in health, socioeconomic activities (such as in the extractive industries, industrial agriculture and infrastructure development), and regulatory policy and practice at all levels, from the local to the international. This title is also available as Open Access via Cambridge Core.
Human behavioral ecology (HBE) applies the principles of evolutionary theory and optimisation to the study of human behavioural and cultural diversity. Among other things, HBE attempts to explain variation in behaviour as adaptive solutions to the competing life-history demands of growth, development, reproduction, parental care, and mate acquisition. This book is a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical orientation and specific findings of HBE. It consolidates the insights of evolution and human behaviour into a single volume that reflects the current state and future of the field. It brings together leading scholars from across the evolutionary social sciences to provide a comprehensive and thought-provoking review of the state of the topic. Throughout, the authors explain the latest developments in theory and highlight critical debates in the literature, while also engaging readers with ethnographic insights and field-based studies that remain at the core of human behavioral ecology.
Accessible and engaging, this is the definitive textbook on using teeth to study the demography and ways of life in ancient human communities. Based on extensive laboratory and field experience, this new edition combines archaeological approaches with new technologies and methodologies, covering the key advances in anatomy, forensics, 3D imaging, stable isotopes, and proteomics. Hillson provides a biological context for teeth, a guide on key skills, an introduction to current debates, and advice for the excavation, conservation and recording of dental remains. He also showcases the microscopic structure of dental tissues alongside methods of age-determination. Discover solutions to problems such as identifying worn, fragmentary human teeth or understanding their condition. This is the ideal reference for advanced courses in anthropology or archaeology, and for everyone interested in dental remains from archaeological sites, museum collections or forensic cases. Online teaching resources include videos of lectures and practicals.
Hylobatids (gibbons and siamangs) are the smallest of the apes distinguished by their coordinated duets, territorial songs, arm-swinging locomotion, and small family group sizes. Although they are the most speciose of the apes boasting twenty species living in eleven countries, ninety-five percent are critically endangered or endangered according to the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species. Despite this, gibbons are often referred to as being 'forgotten' in the shadow of their great ape cousins because comparably they receive less research, funding and conservation attention. This is only the third book since the 1980s devoted to gibbons, and presents cutting-edge research covering a wide variety of topics including hylobatid ecology, conservation, phylogenetics and taxonomy. Written by gibbon researchers and practitioners from across the world, the book discusses conservation challenges in the Anthropocene and presents practice-based approaches and strategies to save these singing, swinging apes from extinction.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide today, but are not just a modern phenomenon. To explore the deep roots of CVDs in human history, this book, for the first time, brings together bioarchaeological evidence from different periods, as old as 5000 BC, and geographic locations from Alaska to Northern Africa. Experts in their fields showcase the powerful tool set available to bioarchaeology, which allows a more comprehensive reconstruction of the human past through evidence for disease. The tools include aDNA and histological analyses and digital imaging techniques for studying skeletal and mummified human remains. The insights gained from these studies are not only of value to historical research but also demonstrate how the science of archaeological human remains can provide the long view of the history of disease and contributes to modern biomedical research within the context of evolutionary medicine.
Parasites have been infecting humans throughout our evolution. When complex societies developed, the greater population density provided new opportunities for parasites to spread. In this interdisciplinary volume, the author brings his expertise in medicine, archaeology and history to explore the contribution of parasites in causing flourishing past civilizations to falter and decline. By using cutting edge methods, Mitchell presents the evidence for parasites that infected the peoples of key ancient civilizations across the world in order to understand their impact upon those populations. This new understanding of the archaeological and historical evidence for intestinal worms, ectoparasites, and protozoa shows how different cultures were burdened by contrasting types of diseases depending upon their geographical location, endemic insects, food preferences and cultural beliefs.
Archaeoprimatology intertwines archaeology and primatology to understand the ancient liminal relationships between humans and nonhuman primates. During the last decade, novel studies have boosted this discipline. This edited volume is the first compendium of archaeoprimatological studies ever produced. Written by a culturally diverse group of scholars, with multiple theoretical views and methodological perspectives, it includes new zooarchaeological examinations and material culture evaluations, as well as innovative uses of oral and written sources. Themes discussed comprise the survey of past primates as pets, symbolic mediators, prey, iconographic references, or living commodities. The book covers different regions of the world, from the Americas to Asia, along with studies from Africa and Europe. Temporally, the chapters explore the human-nonhuman primate interface from deep in time to more recent historical times, examining both extinct and extant primate taxa. This anthology of archaeoprimatological studies will be of interest to archaeologists, primatologists, anthropologists, art historians, paleontologists, conservationists, zoologists, historical ecologists, philologists, and ethnobiologists.
Human life, and how we came to be, is one of the greatest scientific and philosophical questions of our time. This compact and accessible book presents a modern view of human evolution. Written by a leading authority, it lucidly and engagingly explains not only the evolutionary process, but the technologies currently used to unravel the evolutionary past and emergence of Homo sapiens. By separating the history of palaeoanthropology from current interpretation of the human fossil record, it lays numerous misconceptions to rest, and demonstrates that human evolution has been far from the linear struggle from primitiveness to perfection that we've been led to believe. It also presents a coherent scenario for how Homo sapiens contrived to cross a formidable cognitive barrier to become an extraordinary and unprecedented thinking creature. Elegantly illustrated, Understanding Human Evolution is for anyone interested in the complex and tangled story of how we came to be.
Humans evolved in the dynamic landscapes of Africa under conditions of pronounced climatic, geological and environmental change during the past 7 million years. This book brings together detailed records of the paleontological and archaeological sites in Africa that provide the basic evidence for understanding the environments in which we evolved. Chapters cover specific sites, with comprehensive accounts of their geology, paleontology, paleobotany, and their ecological significance for our evolution. Other chapters provide important regional syntheses of past ecological conditions. This book is unique in merging a broad geographic scope (all of Africa) and deep time framework (the past 7 million years) in discussing the geological context and paleontological records of our evolution and that of organisms that evolved alongside our ancestors. It will offer important insights to anyone interested in human evolution, including researchers and graduate students in paleontology, archaeology, anthropology and geology.
The Colobines are a group of Afroeurasian monkeys that exhibit extraordinary behavioural and ecological diversity. With long tails and diverse colourations, they are medium-sized primates, mostly arboreal, that are found in many different habitats, from rain forests and mountain forests to mangroves and savannah. Over the last two decades, our understanding of this group of primates has increased dramatically. This volume presents a comprehensive overview of the current research on colobine populations, including the range of biological, ecological, behavioural and societal traits they exhibit. It highlights areas where our knowledge is still lacking, and outlines the current conservation status of colobine populations, exploring the threats to their survival. Bringing together international experts, this volume will aid future conservation efforts and encourage further empirical studies. It will be of interest to researchers and graduate students in primatology, biological anthropology and conservation science. Additional online resources can be found at www.cambridge.org/colobines.
Tooth enamel and dentin are the most studied hard tissues used to explore hominin evolution, life history, diet, health, and culture. Surprisingly, cementum (the interface between the alveolar bone and the root dentin) remains the least studied dental tissue even though its unique growth, which is continuous throughout life, has been acknowledged since the 1950s. This interdisciplinary volume presents state-of-the-art studies in cementum analysis and its broad interpretative potential in anthropology. The first section focuses on cementum biology; the second section presents optimized multi-species and standardized protocols to estimate age and season at death precisely. The final section highlights innovative applications in zooarchaeology, paleodemography, bioarchaeology, paleoanthropology, and forensic anthropology, demonstrating how cementochronology can profoundly affect anthropological theories. With a wealth of illustrations of cementum histology and accompanying online resources, this book provides the perfect toolkit for scholars interested in studying past and current human and animal populations.
While evolutionary psychology is a fascinating science, it is also often misunderstood. In this highly acclaimed undergraduate textbook, Workman and Reader assume no prior knowledge of evolution and instead carefully guide students towards a level of understanding where they can critically apply evolutionary theory to psychological explanation. The authors provide an engaging and balanced discussion of evolutionary psychology without committing to a specific school of thought, and organise chapters around topics familiar to psychology students. Retaining the successful structure and pedagogy of previous editions, the text has been updated to include the latest advances in the field, with new material added on homosexuality, a consideration of feminist criticism, grandparental investment, and developments in neuroscience and epigenetics. The fourth edition is now in full colour, with new figures and photographs, revised boxed case studies, additional discussion questions, and an updated online test bank.
The illegal trade in live apes, ape meat and body parts occurs across all ape range states and poses a significant and growing threat to the long-term survival of wild ape populations worldwide. What was once a purely subsistence and cultural activity, now encompasses a global multi-million-dollar trade run by sophisticated trans-boundary criminal networks. The challenge lies in teasing apart the complex and interrelated factors that drive the ape trade, while implementing strategies that do not exacerbate inequality. This volume of State of the Apes brings together original research and analysis with topical case studies and emerging best practices, to further the ape conservation agenda around killing, capture and trade. This title is also available as Open Access via Cambridge Core.
From foraging patterns in a single tree to social interactions across a home range, how primates use space is a key question in the field of primate behavioral ecology. Drawing on the latest advances in spatial analysis tools, this book offers practical guidance on applying geographic information systems (GIS) to central questions in primatology. An initial methodological section discusses niche modelling, home range analysis and agent-based modelling, with a focus on remote data collection. Research-based chapters demonstrate how ecologists apply this technology to a suite of topics including: calculating the intensity of use of both range and travel routes, assessing the impacts of logging, mining and hunting, and informing conservation strategies.
This completely revised edition provides a synthesis of the forces that shaped the evolution of the human growth pattern, the biocultural factors that direct its expression, the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that regulate individual development, and the biomathematical approaches needed to analyze and interpret human growth. After covering the history, philosophy and biological principles of human development, the book turns to the evolution of the human life cycle. Later chapters explore the physiological, environmental and cultural reasons for population variation in growth, and the genetic and endocrine factors that regulate individual development. Using numerous historical and cultural examples, social-economic-political-economic forces are also discussed. A new chapter introduces controversial concepts of community effects and strategic growth adjustments, and the author then integrates all this information into a truly interactive biocultural model of human development. This remains the primary text for students of human growth in anthropology, psychology, public health and education.