How Humans Evolved 4e - Softcover

Boyd, Robert; Silk, Joan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393926281 ISBN 13: 9780393926286

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co., 2006

Synopsis

Robert Boyd and Joan B. Silk bring their respective specialties to the groundbreaking Fourth Edition of How Humans Evolved. Using the broad perspective of behavioral ecology?how human behavior has been influenced by the evolutionary process?the authors offer a balanced discussion, drawing on updated coverage of the human fossil record. The well-structured pedagogical framework of the text, with its emphasis on overarching ideas, makes the material accessible to introductory students. New Science and Recent Discoveries The Fourth Edition integrates discussions of new science and recent discoveries into the narrative. Highlights of the Fourth Edition include: Updating of the fossil record to reflect the most current scholarship. Expanded coverage of gene regulation and cell differentiation during development. Discussion of life history theory linked with the evolution of primates? cognitive abilities. New data on the origin of primates, the New World primate radiation, and Miocene apes. New data on global paleoclimates; new research by McLarnon on Homo ergaster?s lack of speech. New discussion of recent works by Christopher Dean on rates of development in extinct hominins. New sections on the Herto fossils and what genetic sequence data can tell us about human evolution. Revised sections that provide a more integrated view of human diversity and contemporary human behavior. New examination of how evolution has shaped the psychology underlying decisions about mating and parenting and new analysis of human behavior toward mates and children. Excellent Art Program The art program in How Humans Evolved clearly demonstrates the relationships between fossils. All of the comparative drawings are pictured with the same orientation and consistent scale throughout the book. A Responsive Revision For the Fourth Edition, the authors have responded to feedback from the hundreds of instructors across the country already using How Humans Evolved and have streamlined the text into 17 chapters.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Boyd has written widely on evolutionary theory, focusing especially on the evolution of cooperation and the role of culture in human evolution. His book Culture and the Evolutionary Process received the J. I. Staley Prize, and he has also published numerous articles in scientific journals and edited volumes. Boyd is currently the Origins Professor in the School of Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. Joan B. Silk has conducted extensive research on the social lives of monkeys and apes, including extended fieldwork on chimpanzees at Gombe Stream Reserve in Tanzania and on baboons in Kenya and Botswana. She is also interested in the application of evolutionary thinking to human behavior. She has published numerous articles in scientific journals and edited volumes. She is currently a professor in the School of Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University.

Synopsis

Integrates discussions of science and discoveries into the narrative. Using the perspective of behavioural ecology, this book creates a balanced discussion. It emphasises on overarching ideas, making the material useful to introductory students.

Edition details

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co.
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0393926281
• ISBN 13: 9780393926286
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 4
• Number of pages: 550