The Wisdom of Bones: In Search of Human Origins

Alan Walker

ISBN 10: 0297816705 / ISBN 13: 9780297816706

Published by Trafalgar Square, 1996

Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0297816705I3N00

Synopsis:

This work tells the story of the excavation of the "Nariokotome Boy", found in Kenya in 1984 by Richard Leakey and Walker, and the most complete skeleton of Homo erectus ever found. The book also details the detective work that followed the find and the insights into our species that were revealed. The "Nariokotome Boy" has been able to tell scientists more about the human past than any other fossil so far. Instead of a human trapped in an ape body, Walker and his team found an animal in a human body - a small brain, but with legs, pelvis and torso that were astonishingly human, along with a thoroughly human adaptation to his tropical climate in terms of body build and heat disposition. The animal had mastered the human "trick" of growing a human brain at foetal rates, something no true animal can do. They also discovered that the Boy was speechless, a fact contradicting the accepted wisdom that language acquisition marks the origin of humankind.

About the Author: Pat Shipman is an anthropologist at Pennsylvania State University.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Wisdom of Bones: In Search of Human ...
Publisher: Trafalgar Square
Publication Date: 1996
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket