Biological Anthropology

9780072996357

0072996358

1. BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY In the Field: Doing Biological Anthropology What Is Biological Anthropology? Bioanthropology and Science The Scientific Method Belief Systems Contemporary Reflections: Is Evolution a Fact, a Theory or Just a Hypothesis? Summary Questions for Further Thought Key Terms Suggested Readings 2. THE EVOLUTION OF EVOLUTION "On the Shoulders of Giants": Explaining the Changing Earth "Common Sense at Its Best": Explaining Biological Change Contemporary Reflections: Has Science Dehumanized Society? Summary Questions for Further Thought Key Terms Suggested Readings 3. EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS How Genes Work An Overview of the Human Genome From Gene to Trait How Inheritance Works Contemporary Reflections: What Is Genetic Cloning? Summary Questions for Further Thought Key Terms Suggested Readings 4. THE PROCESSES OF EVOLUTION Species: The Units of Evolution Mutations: Necessary Errors Natural Selection: The Prime Mover of Evolution Gene Flow: Mixing Populations' Genes Genetic Drift: Random Evolution Sickle Cell Anemia: Evolutionary Processes in Action Contemporary Reflections: Are Humans Still Evolving? Summary Questions for Further Thought Key Terms Suggested Readings 5. THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES AND THE SHAPE OF EVOLUTION New Species Adaptive Radiation: The Evolution of Life's Diversity The Shape of the Family Tree Evolution Questioned: The Pseudoscience of "Scientific Creationism" Contemporary Reflections: Can We See Evolution in Action? Summary Questions for Further Thought Key Terms Suggested Readings 6. A BRIEF EVOLUTIONARY TIMETABLE From the Beginning: A Quick History Drifting Continents and Mass Extinctions: The Pace of Change Contemporary Reflections: Are Mass Extinctions a Thing of the Past? Summary Questions for Further Thought Key Terms Suggested Readings 7. THE PRIMATES Naming the Animals Linnaean Taxonomy Cladistics What Is a Primate? The Senses Movement Reproduction Intelligence Behavior Patterns A Survey of the Living Primates Prosimians Anthropoids The Human Primate The Senses Movement Reproduction Intelligence Behavior Patterns Contemporary Reflections: What Is the Status of Our Closest Relatives? Summary Questions for Further Thought Key Terms Suggested Readings 8. PRIMATE BEHAVIOR AND HUMAN EVOLUTION Studying Behavior Baboons Chimpanzees Bonobos Contemporary Reflections: Are Some Human Behaviors Genetic? Summary Questions for Further Thought Key Terms Suggested Readings 9. STUDYING THE HUMAN PAST Bones: The Primate Skeleton Old Bones: Locating, Recovering, and Dating Fossils How Fossils Get to Be Fossils Genes: New Windows to the Past Contemporary Reflections: Who Owns Old Bones? Summary Questions for Further Thought Key Terms Suggested Readings 10. EVOLUTION OF THE HOMINIDS The Origin and Evolution of the Primates The Early Hominids: Bipedal Primates Searching for the First Hominids Bipedalism The Benefits of Bipedalism Explaining the Emergence of Bipedalism The Hominids Evolve More Australopithecenes Still More Hominids Putting It All Together Contemporary Reflections: Where Is the "Missing Link"? Summary Questions for Further Thought Key Terms Suggested Readings 11. THE EVOLUTION OF GENUS HOMO Lumpers and Splitters: An Organizing Plan The First Members of Genus Homo To New Lands Big Brains, Archaic Skulls The Neandertals Modern Humans Contemporary Reflections: What Do We Mean by "Huma