Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

The recent discovery of the diminutive Homo floresiensis (nicknamed "the Hobbit") in Indonesia has sparked new interest in the study of human evolution. In this Very Short Introduction, renowned evolutionary scholar Bernard Wood traces the history of paleoanthropology from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to today's latest fossil finds. Along the way we are introduced to the lively cast of characters, past and present, involved in evolutionary research. Although concentrating on the fossil evidence for human evolution, the book also covers the latest genetic evidence about regional variations in the modern human genome that relate to our evolutionary history. Wood draws on over thirty years of experience to provide an insiders view of the field, and demonstrates that our understanding of human evolution is critically dependent on advances in related sciences such as paleoclimatology, geochronology, systematics, genetics, and developmental biology. This is an ideal introduction for anyone interested in the origins and development of humankind. "This Very Short Introduction traces the history of our understanding of human evolution - taking the reader right up to the very latest fossil findings and the debates about what they mean." "Providing an 'insider's view' of current paleoanthropology, Bernard Wood explains how human fossils are found, analyzed, and interpreted, and what the latest advances in genetics and a range of other sciences can reveal about our earliest origins."--Jacket This Very Short Introduction traces the history of paleoanthropology from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to the very latest fossil finds. Bernard Wood shows how evidence from both fossils and the Human Genome Project can explain where modern-day humans fit into the Tree of Life. This introduction traces the history of paleoanthropology from its beginnings in the 18th century to the latest fossil finds. It concentrates on the fossil evidence for human evolution making reference to the relevant archaeological evidence when appropriate Many of the important advances made by biologists in the past 150 years can be reduced to a single metaphor.