Development, Growth and Evolution: Implications for the Study of the Hominid Skeleton (Linnean Society Symposium): Volume 20 - Hardcover

9780125249652: Development, Growth and Evolution: Implications for the Study of the Hominid Skeleton (Linnean Society Symposium): Volume 20

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0125249659 ISBN 13: 9780125249652

Publisher: Academic Press, 2000

This book presents a synthesis of the modern approaches to the study of ontogeny and the interpretation of the fossil evidence for human origins. Recent years have seen significant developments in the understanding of the regulation of embryonic pattern formation and skeletal adaptation, and in techniques for the visualizations and analysis of ontogenetic transformations, offering the prospect of understanding the mechanisms underpinning phylogenetic transformation in the skeleton. Advances in developmental biology, molecular genetics, biomechanics, microscopy, imaging and morphometrics are brought to bear on the subject.

Reviews important hot subject areas
Juxtaposes contributions by developmental biologists and those by evolutionary morphologists
Makes some bold insights; synthesizes development and evolution

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Review:

"This book is an important step in the process of improving the efficacy of methods for the reconstruction of higher primate evolution. The authors are to be congratulated on their efforts." ―Bernard Wood in JOURNAL OF ANATOMY (2001)

"...for those in the earlier stages of their paleoanthropological careers mastery of all the material covered here is going to be essential." ―David Pilbean, Harvard University, in JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION (2001)

From the Back Cover:

This book arises out of a joint meeting of the Centre for Ecology and Evolution and the Linnean Society of London held at the meeting rooms of the Linnean Society in April 1998. The meeting brought together developmental biologists and hominid palaentologists to discuss how advances in understanding of developmental mechanisms might impact on the interpretation of hominid skeletal remains. This volume attempts to provide accessible accounts of these advances in developmental biology for the non-expert, together with contributions from hominid palaentologists, which aim to bring this developmental perspective to bear on interpretation of the skeletal record of human evolution. This combined approach is, as yet, in its infancy but it is likely that it will impact significantly on palaeoanthropology and palaentology in general. This text is therefore, likely to be of interest to students of hominid skeletal evolution, skeletal biology and evolutionary developmental biology, and its content should simulate studies in which skeletal morphology is interpreted in an integrative context, taking account of both ontogeny and phylogeny.

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