Biological Anthropology: A Synthetic Approach to Human Evolution

Abstract

(NOTE: Each chapter contains summary, critical-thinking questions, and suggested readings). 1. Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Biology and Behavior. Anthropology. Subjects That Biological Anthropologists Study. The Language of Biological Anthropology. Phylogeny: Reconstructing the Evolutionary History of Species. The Perspective of Human Evolution. 2. Earliest Beginnings: DNA, the Cell, and the First Animals. Ultimate Origins. Continental Land Masses Drift Apart. The First Evidence of Life. Cells Evolve. DNA: The Reproductive Machinery of the Cell. The DNA Molecule Evolves. The Cell Nucleus Evolves. Evolution of DNA Repair and Sexual Reproduction. Mitosis and Meiosis Evolve. The Earliest Animals Appear. 3. Evolution and Natural Selection. Influences on Darwin. Darwin Develops His Theory of Natural Selection. Development of a Theory of Inheritance. Mendelian Genetics and Molecular Genetics. Mutation: The Source of Genetic Variation. The Puzzle of Sexual Reproduction. 4. Populations, Species, and Evolution. Populations. Individuals Within Populations. Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium and Population Genetics. Evolution Changes Population Allele Frequencies. Speciation. Evolution of Behavior. 5. Stages of Vertebrate Evolution. Homologous Structures. Clues from Morphology, Embryology, and Paleontology. Phylum Chordata. The First Vertebrates: Our Fish Heritage. First Forays onto Dry Land: The Amphibians. Reptiles Conquer the Land. Mammals Evolve and Radiate. The Human Brain in Evolutionary Perspective. Mammals and Adaptive Radiation. Understanding Human Morphology. 6. Introduction to Primates: Origins and Evolution. What is a Primate? The First Primate Radiation: Plesiadapiforms. The Second Primate Radiation: Prosimians. Behavior and Social Organization of Prosimians. The Third Primate Radiation: Anthropoids. Origins and Evolution of the Monkeys. 7. Primates: Patterns in Social Behavior. History of Field Studies. Advantages of Group Living. Development of Behavioral Modeling. Male and Female Reproductive Strategies. Primate Foraging and Feeding. Primate Defenses Against Predation. Communication in Nonhuman Primates. Aggression and Dominance Interactions. Birth and the Mother-Infant Bond. Learning as Adaptation to Sociality. 8. The Florescence and Decline of the Hominoids. Introduction to the Hominoids. The Apes. Anatomy of a Climbing Heritage. Proconsulids: The Earliest Hominoids. Hominoids with Thick Molar Enamel Appear. Ape Evolution in Eurasia. Evolutionary Relationships of Hominoids. 9. Evolution of Hominoid Behavior. The Lesser Apes: The Gibbons and Siamangs. The Great Apes. Human Social Behavior. 10. Australopithecines. Definition of Hominidae. The Earliest Hominids. What the Earliest Hominid Looked Like. Taphonomy and Hominid Paleoecology. The Australopithecines. Hominid Morphology and Behavior. Australopithecine Paleoecology and Behavior. Robust Australopithecines. 11. The Genus Homo. The Brain, a Hallmark of Humanity. Teeth. Skull and Jaws. Body Size and Limbs. The First Stone Tools. Homo erectus Comes onto the Scene. The Appearance of Homo sapiens. 12. The Evolution of Human Social Behavior. Human Behavioral Evolution. Archaeology's Insights into Cultural Development. Model Building and Ethnographic Research. Reconstructing Early Human Behavior. 13. Human Biology and Variation. The Nature of Human Genetic Variation. How Variation Is Measured. The Process of Geographical Isolation. Early Studies of Human Variation. Genetic Markers Can Trace Population Relatedness. Natural Selection Causes Human Variation. Genetic Influence on Behavioral Variation. 14. The Human Life Cycle: Human Biology, Growth, and Adaptability. Human Growth Studies. Human Adaptability to Environment. Nutritional and Dietary Aspects of Adaptation. Modern Life and Human Evolution. 15. The Modern Human Condition in Evolutionary Perspective: Applied Biological Anthropology. Premises and Goals of Applied Biological Anthropology. Biomedical Anthropology and Evolutionary Medicine. Forensic Anthropology. Applied Aspects of Anthropometry. Evolutionary Perspectives on Brian and Behavior. Anthropological Lessons for Education. Biological Anthropology, Human Ecology, and Quality of Life. Appendix 1. The Language of Biological Anthropology: Human Anatomy. Appendix 2. The Language of Biological Anthropology: Geology. Appendix 3. The Language of Biological Anthropology: Biology and Taxonomy. Glossary. References. Illustration Credits. Index.

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