The Human Species: An Introduction to Biological Anthropology - Softcover

Relethford, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0073531014 ISBN 13: 9780073531014

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education, 2009

Synopsis

This text introduces physical anthropology, the science of human biological evolution and variation. Divided into four parts, it addresses the major questions that concern biological anthropologists--"What are humans?" "Where are our origins?" "How did we evolve, and are we still evolving?" and "What does the future hold for the human species?--with an emphasis on hypothesis testing and the relationship between biology and culture.

About this title

From the Publisher:

The chapter on macroevolution and the origin of species has been moved earlier in the book (Chapter 4) in order to link better the evolutionary forces with long﷓term patterns of evolutionary change.
The chapters on disease and demography have been streamlined and combined into a single chapter (Chapter 15) organized around the biological impact of culture change.
Discussion of the human fossil record has been substantially rewritten to include three new species (Orrorin tugenensis, Kenyanthropus platyops, and Australopithecus garhi), and to include new information such as Homo erectus in Europe, Acheulian-like tools in Asia, and new studies of Neandertal DNA, among others.
A number of new topics have been added. Additions include the Human Genome Project, quantitative genetics and sexual orientation, the evolution of cystic fibrosis genes, an entire section on nutritional adaptation (Chapter 7), critiques of the 'small but healthy' hypothesis, primate behavioral ecology, evolutionary significance of parent-child co-sleeping, pollution and human biology, and the emergence and reemergence of infectious disease, among others.
All areas of contemporary biological anthropology are covered: genetics, evolutionary theory, primate behavior, the fossil record, and material often neglected in introductory texts such as adaptation, human health and disease and demography, and human growth.
The relationship between biology and culture is a major focus throughout the text.
Behavioris discussed in an evolutionary context.
The emphasis is on the human species within the primate order. Discussions of mammals and nonhuman primates continually refer back to their potential relevance for understanding the human species.
Hypothesis testing is emphasized throughout.

About the Author:

Dr. John Relethford holds the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the State University of New York College at Oneonta, and has received a SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He received his BA (1975), MA (1978), and Ph.D. (1980) degrees in anthropology from the State University of New York at Albany. His textbook, The Human Species: An Introduction to Biological Anthropology, was first published in 1990, and is currently in the eighth edition. He has also written Genetics and the Search for Modern Human Origins and Reflections of Our Past: How Human History is Revealed in Our Genes, and is coauthor of Human Biological Variation. In addition, he has authored or coauthored over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles, 18 book chapters, and numerous book reviews and other publications. He has served as both President and Vice-President of both the American Association of Physical Anthropologists and the American Association of Anthropological Genetics. He has served on the editorial boards of many journals, and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

About this edition

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0073531014
• ISBN 13: 9780073531014
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 544