The Evolution of Human Life History

The Evolution of Human Life History
Author: Kristen Hawkes
Publisher: James Currey
Total Pages: 532
Release: 2006
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN:

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Human beings may share 98 percent of their genetic makeup with their nonhuman primate cousins, but they have distinctive life histories. When and why did these uniquely human patterns evolve? To answer that question, this volume brings together specialists in hunter-gatherer behavioral ecology and demography, human growth, development, and nutrition, paleodemography, human paleontology, primatology, and the genomics of aging. The contributors identify and explain the peculiar features of human life histories, such as the rate and timing of processes that directly influence survival and reproduction. Drawing on new evidence from paleoanthropology, they question existing arguments that link human's extended childhood dependency and long 'post-reproductive'lives to brain development, learning, and distinctively human social structures. The volume reviews alternative explanations for the distinctiveness of human life history and incorporates multiple lines of evidence in order to test them.

The Evolution of Human Life History

The Evolution of Human Life History
Author: Kristen Hawkes
Publisher: School for Advanced Research Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2006
Genre: Fossil hominids
ISBN: 9781930618725

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Human beings may share 98 percent of their genetic makeup with their nonhuman primate cousins, but they have distinctive life histories. When and why did these uniquely human patterns evolve? To answer that question, this volume brings together specialists in hunter-gatherer behavioral ecology and demography, human growth, development, and nutrition, paleodemography, human paleontology, primatology, and the genomics of aging. The contributors identify and explain the peculiar features of human life histories, such as the rate and timing of processes that directly influence survival and reproduction. Drawing on new evidence from paleoanthropology, they question existing arguments that link humans' extended childhood dependency and long "post-reproductive" lives to brain development, learning, and distinctively human social structures. The volume reviews alternative explanations for the distinctiveness of human life history and incorporates multiple lines of evidence in order to test them.

The Story of the Human Body

The Story of the Human Body
Author: Daniel Lieberman
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 482
Release: 2014-07-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 030774180X

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A landmark book of popular science that gives us a lucid and engaging account of how the human body evolved over millions of years—with charts and line drawings throughout. “Fascinating.... A readable introduction to the whole field and great on the making of our physicality.”—Nature In this book, Daniel E. Lieberman illuminates the major transformations that contributed to key adaptations to the body: the rise of bipedalism; the shift to a non-fruit-based diet; the advent of hunting and gathering; and how cultural changes like the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions have impacted us physically. He shows how the increasing disparity between the jumble of adaptations in our Stone Age bodies and advancements in the modern world is occasioning a paradox: greater longevity but increased chronic disease. And finally—provocatively—he advocates the use of evolutionary information to help nudge, push, and sometimes even compel us to create a more salubrious environment and pursue better lifestyles.

Men

Men
Author: Richard G. Bribiescas
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2008-12-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780674030343

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Males account for roughly 50 percent of the global population, but in America and other places, they account for over 85 percent of violent crime. A graph of relative risk of death in human males shows that mortality is high immediately following birth, falls during childhood, then exhibits a distinct rise between the ages of 15 and 35—primarily the result of accidents, violence, and risky behaviors. Why? What compels males to drive fast, act violently, and behave stupidly? Why are men's lives so different from those of women? Men presents a new approach to understanding the human male by drawing upon life history and evolutionary theory. Because life history theory focuses on the timing of, and energetic investment in, particular aspects of physiology, such as growth and reproduction, Richard Bribiescas and his fellow anthropologists are now using it in the study of humans. This has led to an increased understanding of human female physiology—especially growth and reproduction—from an evolutionary and life history perspective. However, little attention has been directed toward these characteristics in males. Men provides a new understanding of human male physiology and applies it to contemporary health issues such as prostate cancer, testosterone replacement therapy, and the development of a male contraceptive. Men proves that understanding human physiology requires global research in traditionally overlooked areas and that evolutionary and life history theory have much to offer toward this endeavor.

Patterns of Human Growth

Patterns of Human Growth
Author: Barry Bogin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 476
Release: 1999-05-06
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780521564380

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A revised edition of an established text on human growth and development from an anthropological and evolutionary perspective.

In the Light of Evolution

In the Light of Evolution
Author: National Academy of Sciences
Publisher:
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2007
Genre: Science
ISBN:

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The Arthur M. Sackler Colloquia of the National Academy of Sciences address scientific topics of broad and current interest, cutting across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Each year, four or five such colloquia are scheduled, typically two days in length and international in scope. Colloquia are organized by a member of the Academy, often with the assistance of an organizing committee, and feature presentations by leading scientists in the field and discussions with a hundred or more researchers with an interest in the topic. Colloquia presentations are recorded and posted on the National Academy of Sciences Sackler colloquia website and published on CD-ROM. These Colloquia are made possible by a generous gift from Mrs. Jill Sackler, in memory of her husband, Arthur M. Sackler.

Born in Africa

Born in Africa
Author: Martin Meredith
Publisher: Public Affairs
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2012-05-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1610391055

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Africa does not give up its secrets easily. Buried there lie answers about the origins of humankind. And yet, though vital clues still remain hidden, scientists have over the last century transformed our understanding about the beginnings of human life. In Born in Africa, Martin Meredith follows scientists' trail of discoveries about human origins, recounting their intense rivalry, personal feuds, and fierce controversies as well as their feats of skill and endurance. And he limns their momentous accomplishments: Scientists have identified more than twenty species of extinct humans. They have firmly established Africa as the birthplace not only of humankind but also of modern humans. They have revealed how early technology, language ability and artistic endeavour all originated in Africa; and they have shown how small groups of Africans spread out from Africa in an exodus sixty-thousand years ago to populate the rest of the world.

Between Zeus and the Salmon

Between Zeus and the Salmon
Author: Caleb E. Finch
Publisher:
Total Pages: 304
Release: 1997-10-29
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN:

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Demographers and public health specialists have been surprised by the rapid increases in life expectancy, especially at the oldest ages, that have occurred since the early 1960s. Some scientists are calling into question the idea of a fixed upper limit for the human life span. There is new evidence about the genetic bases for both humans and other species. There are also new theories and models of the role of mutations accumulating over the life span and the possible evolutionary advantages of survival after the reproductive years. This volume deals with such diverse topics as the role of the elderly in other species and among human societies past and present, the contribution of evolutionary theory to our understanding of human longevity and intergenerational transfers, mathematical models for survival, and the potential for collecting genetic material in household surveys. It will be particularly valuable for promoting communication between the social and life sciences.

Human Evolution Through Developmental Change

Human Evolution Through Developmental Change
Author: Nancy Minugh-Purvis
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 536
Release: 2002-01-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780801867323

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This book reflects two major strands of research in the study of human heterochrony, the change in the timing and rate of development of individuals.

Mechanisms of Life History Evolution

Mechanisms of Life History Evolution
Author: Thomas Flatt
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 505
Release: 2011-05-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0199568766

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This interdisciplinary volume unites evolutionary and molecular biologists from various fields (life history theory, molecular biology, developmental biology, aging, phenotypic plasticity, social behaviour, and endocrinology) who use studies of molecular mechanisms to solve fundamental questions in life history evolution in a variety of organisms.