Smithsonian Intimate Guide To Human Origins

From the savannas of Africa to modern-day labs for biomechanical analysis and molecular genetics, Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins reveals how anthropologists are furiously redrawing the human family tree. Their discoveries have spawned a host of new questions: Should chimpanzees be included as a human species? Was it the physical difficulty of human childbirth that encouraged the development of social groups in early human species? Did humans and Neanderthals interbreed? Why did humans supplant Neanderthals in the end? In answering such questions, Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins sheds new light on one of the most important questions of all: What makes us human?

Discusses the scientific research which led to the theories of human origian, including the contributions of Charles Darwin, Thomas Henry Huxley, and Louis Leakey.

In recent years, studies in several overlapping fields have enlarged our understanding of human origins. This book brings together essays by leading archaeologists, anthropologists, biologists, and paleontologists to provide a vivid portrait of what is currently known about the evolution of our species. The contributors include the Oxford biologist Richard Dawkins, the molecular biologist Alec Jeffreys, and Richard Leakey, Director of the National Museum of Kenya. Among the topics discussed are the lifestyle of our early ancestors, the evolution of human intelligence, the nature and significance of human purpose. Human Origins is an accessible and authoritative guide to contemporary scientific views of human evolution, providing a detailed account of the emergence of hominids from the world of apes.

"Human Origins" by S. Laing is an intellectual voyage that delves profoundly into the intricate tapestry of human evolution and our origins. Laing's methodical scientific approach, coupled with his engaging and accessible writing style, invites readers on a captivating journey through the annals of time. Within these pages, readers embark on an exploration of our distant ancestors and the profound roots of our existence. Laing skillfully pieces together the puzzle of human origins, shedding light on the remarkable journey that has led to our present-day species. With each chapter, readers gain a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of life on Earth and the fascinating evolutionary milestones that have shaped humanity. "Human Origins" is not just a book; it is an enlightening odyssey that fuels our curiosity, encouraging us to ponder the intricate web of life and our place within it. Laing's work is a testament to the enduring quest for knowledge and the exhilaration of discovery, making this book an essential read for anyone curious about our remarkable journey as a species.

This updated, illustrated guide to the fossil record of human evolution brings together for easy reference, in one source, all the major finds of fossil hominoids and hominids. An essential source in physical anthropology classrooms and laboratories. 1. Introduction 2. Dawn Apes: Oligocene and Miocene Hominoids 3. Australopithecus: Pliocene-Pleistocene Hominids 4. Homo Habilis: Pliocene-Pleistocene Hominids 5. Homo Erectus: Pleistocene Hominids 6. Early Archaic Homo Sapiens: Middle Pleistocene Hominids 7. Late Archaic Homo Sapiens: Upper Pleistocene Hominids 8. Modern Homo Sapiens: Late Pleistocene-Holocene Hominids

A world-renowned paleoanthropologist and author of Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind, Donald Johanson attempts to solve the mystery of human evolution using new evidence uncovered on his recent forays into the fossil-rich regions of Eastern Africa. Companion volume to the upcoming Nova series. 175 illus. Maps.

Humanity has always been intrigued by the timeless question: Where did we come from? In 1974, the discovery of the fossilised bones of a three-million-year-old female dubbed 'Lucy' captured the world's attention. This nearly complete skeleton of an early human ancestor not only triggered widespread interest in our human origins but also prompted a thorough re-evaluation of established scientific doctrines. Today, hardly a month goes by without news of significant discoveries that are changing our understanding of human origins at what seems like the speed of lightning. But what does all this new knowledge about our species mean? That's exactly what acclaimed science writer Carl Zimmer tackles in this accessible, up-to-the-minute guide to human origins. Zimmer offers an entertaining and illuminating journey through our ancestry - beginning sixty-five million years ago with the first primates and ending today, as we enter a new phase of evolution. From ancient fossils unearthed in the Sahara Desert to the analysis of DNA by robots at the National Human Genome Research Institute in suburban Maryland, Zimmer weaves together the varied clues about our human ancestry in an entertaining, informative and highly readable volume that will appeal to expert and general reader alike.

“Lucy is a 3.2-million-year-old skeleton who has become the spokeswoman for human evolution. She is perhaps the best known and most studied fossil hominid of the twentieth century, the benchmark by which other discoveries of human ancestors are judged.”–From Lucy’s Legacy In his New York Times bestseller, Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind, renowned paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson told the incredible story of his discovery of a partial female skeleton that revolutionized the study of human origins. Lucy literally changed our understanding of our world and who we come from. Since that dramatic find in 1974, there has been heated debate and–most important–more groundbreaking discoveries that have further transformed our understanding of when and how humans evolved. In Lucy’s Legacy, Johanson takes readers on a fascinating tour of the last three decades of study–the most exciting period of paleoanthropologic investigation thus far. In that time, Johanson and his colleagues have uncovered a total of 363 specimens of Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy’s species, a transitional creature between apes and humans), spanning 400,000 years. As a result, we now have a unique fossil record of one branch of our family tree–that family being humanity–a tree that is believed to date back a staggering 7 million years. Focusing on dramatic new fossil finds and breakthrough advances in DNA research, Johanson provides the latest answers that post-Lucy paleoanthropologists are finding to questions such as: How did Homo sapiens evolve? When and where did our species originate? What separates hominids from the apes? What was the nature of Neandertal and modern human encounters? What mysteries about human evolution remain to be solved? Donald Johanson is a passionate guide on an extraordinary journey from the ancient landscape of Hadar, Ethiopia–where Lucy was unearthed and where many other exciting fossil discoveries have since been made–to a seaside cave in South Africa that once sheltered early members of our own species, and many other significant sites. Thirty-five years after Lucy, Johanson continues to enthusiastically probe the origins of our species and what it means to be human.