Extinct Humans

Tattersall, Ian, Schwartz, Jeffrey

ISBN 10: 0813339189 / ISBN 13: 9780813339184

Published by Basic Books, 2001

Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00085150629

Synopsis:

Scientists have long envisioned the human "family tree" as a straight-line progression from the apelike australopithecines to the enigmatic Homo habilis to the famous Neanderthals, culminating in us, Homo sapiens. But this model is unlike the evolutionary patterns known for all other vertebrates--patterns that typically reveal multiple branchings and extinctions. In Extinct Humans, Ian Tattersall and Jeffrey Schwartz present convincing evidence that many distinct species of humans have existed during the history of the hominid family, often simultaneously. Furthermore, these species may have contributed to one another's extinction. Who were these different human species? Which are direct ancestors to us? And, the most profound question of all, why is there only a single human species alive on Earth now?

Review: It's time for a hominid family reunion, and anthropologists Ian Tattersall and Jeffrey Schwartz have brought the scrapbook. Extinct Humans is both an album of knowledge of our ancestors and closely related species and a theoretical reconsideration of the fossil evidence. Tattersall and Schwartz suggest that many more human species existed than we previously thought, and that many of them existed contemporaneously until about 25,000 years ago. Profusely illustrated, the book makes its case well, showing and discussing the evidence and proposing a family history that pulls all of the fossils and theories together into a testable whole. The authors have personally investigated every available hominid specimen and the depth of their knowledge is staggering at times--but their obsession is enlightening and entertaining.

The introductory history of human taxonomy sets us up for the discussions to follow and reminds us of our tendency to read more into human history than can reasonably be inferred from the evidence; the racist sentiments of 19th-century anthropologists found firm footing in their theories and we can only wonder what mistakes we're making today. Doing their best to eliminate extraneous details, Tattersall and Schwartz provide a lean, parsimonious theory to guide anthropology into the 21st century as we try to learn why we're the only ones left. --Rob Lightner

Bibliographic Details

Title: Extinct Humans
Publisher: Basic Books
Publication Date: 2001
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Good