Neanderthals Revisited: New Approaches and Perspectives (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology)

Book Description

Recent years have witnessed exciting and important scientific breakthroughs in the study of Neanderthals and their place in human evolution which have transformed our appreciation of this group’s paleobiology and evolution. This volume presents cutting-edge research by leading scientists re-examining the major debates in Neanderthal research with the use of innovative state-of-the art methods and exciting new theoretical approaches.

Topics addressed include the re-evaluation of Neanderthal anatomy, inferred adaptations and habitual activities, developmental patterns, phylogenetic relationships, and the Neanderthal extinction; new methods include computer tomography, 3D geometric morphometrics, ancient DNA and bioenergetics. The diverse contributions offer fresh insights and advances in Neanderthal and modern human origins research.

This is a Volume in The Max-Planck-Institute Subseries in Human Evolution coordinated by Jean-Jacques Hublin, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Leipzig, Germany

The Neanderthal's Necklace: In Search of the First Thinkers

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Fascinating
Interesting topic, poorly organized book.
It is about who the first thinkers were...
The Neanderthal's Necklace
review

The Neanderthal's Necklace: In Search of the First Thinkers
Juan Luis Arsuaga
Manufacturer: Four Walls Eight Windows
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1568583036

Book Description

The Neanderthals provide a surprising mirror for modern-day humanity. They belonged to our evolutionary group and lived like the Cro-Magnons, our ancestors, did - worshipping, socializing, and hunting. The struggle between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons lasted thousands of years. The Cro-Magnons were not biologically fit for extreme cold weather, but their ingenuity allowed them to settle down, band together, and survive. In this tale of life, death, and the awakening of human awareness, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Spain's most celebrated paleoanthropologist, depicts the dramatic struggle between two clashing species, of which only one survives.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating.......2005-05-11

Arsuaga focuses on discoveries in his native Spain, and they are many. His hypothesis is that Neanderthals had the brains to be as intelligent as we, but lacked the physical equipment to develop sophisticated language.

The author ranges afield into areas of natural history and biology that give the book a depth beyond its title. I'm reminded, in a very small way, of course, of The Golden Bough, which set out to explore one cultural artifact and wound up as an encyclopedia of cultural anthropology.

I like Arsuaga's informal style and his fair-minded exposition of points of view that differ from his own. While the book is not a page-turner for the average reader, it is so for anyone seriously interested in its subject.

Interesting topic, poorly organized book........2004-09-20

I was disappointed by this book. It reads like the transcript of a university lecture given by a bright and enthusiastic professor. That said, the author's frequent asides and digressions make it difficult to follow his narrative.

It is about who the first thinkers were..........2004-01-13

The book is very detailed and very interesting, but while it has lots of information about Neanderthals, and they are an important part of the book, much of it IS about the subtitle, In Search of the First Thinkers. When did we go from gestures to language? When did we stop making the same stone tool, again and again, and start making different tools for different needs? When did we stop thinking about how to hunt down an animal which was right in front of us and start planning out how to get food in the future? The author uses Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons to ask 'Why did one win over the other?' Was it language? What does art have to do with it? Maybe it had to do with the development of better tools? And what do bigger brains have to do with it if Neanderthals had the biggest ones?
It is as much history as it is philosophy.

The Neanderthal's Necklace.......2003-09-26

I most definitely do not recommend this book if the reader wishes to learn something about the Neanderthals. Actually, there is virtually nothing in the book about the Neanderthals and their culture, but there is a lot of information on the late Pleistocene environments of the Iberian Peninsula. This book is mostly natural history, not archaeology. I do not recommend it.

review.......2003-09-02

Great. It goes through all the steps of human development "from ape to man". Very easy to understand for non experts. The Neanderthal chapter is the most interesting one. I recommend it to people who are not experts on the issue but love the topic and want to keep themselves on the loop.

Extinctions in Near Time: Causes, Contexts, and Consequences (Advances in Vertebrate Paleobiology)

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Chris OSU

Extinctions in Near Time: Causes, Contexts, and Consequences (Advances in Vertebrate Paleobiology)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0306460920

Book Description

This book examines an important and growing issue among ecologists, conservation biologists, and archaeologists, namely recent extinction of species, and will focus on treatments of losses thought to have been caused by humans in some way over the past 40,000 years when Homo sapiens spread worldwide. There is an exemplary list of leading figures in this debate, and the book should have impact for the debate on current conservation issues and biodiversity.

Customer Reviews:

Chris OSU.......2005-03-24

The very much like the book. I thought it was very informative and coming from me (one who does not like to read factual books) that is saying something. I do not think everyone will react the same way to the book as i did. i like it because i am an animal enthusiast and any more information about conservation and extinction habits is music to my eyes (lol) anyway i would recommend this book to all who are interested in animals or want to have an informational book for projects. but many might not like it because it is written as die hard facts, it does not have a plot and would not be interesting to those who do not appreciate animals or science. ManPhee compiles a bunch of informtion based on the editors he gathered it from. it reads sort of like how u would find a history book, with graphs and charts to back up his info all in all it was very informative and i got lot out of it.

Macroevolution: Diversity, Disparity, Contingency: Essays in Honor of Stephen Jay Gould

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A Surprisingly Readable Collection of Papers

Macroevolution: Diversity, Disparity, Contingency: Essays in Honor of Stephen Jay Gould

Manufacturer: Paleontological Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1891276492

Book Description

Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) was one of the most prominent scientists of recent decades, a man whose expertise ranged from paleontology to evolutionary theory and the history of science. He was an unabashedly popular figure, attracting standing-room-only audiences to his lectures at Harvard and around the world. In his monthly Natural History columns and innumerable articles and books, Gould made evolution interesting in a way that hardly anyone—since the time of Darwin and Huxley—had been able to do.
In Macroevolution, major themes of Gould's work are reassessed in light of new research by his contemporaries. The book includes original essays by such noted scholars as Niles Eldredge, Richard Fortey, and Lynn Margulis on heterochrony, disparity, and macroevolution, stasis and the dynamics of evolutionary change, and mass extinctions. Fourteen essays provide an expansive overview of contemporary evolutionary theory. Macroevolution is a unique tribute to Gould that will be a valuable educational resource for students, teachers, and anyone interested in the work of this scientific provocateur.

Customer Reviews:

A Surprisingly Readable Collection of Papers.......2006-04-08

Generally, I find that I am unable to read scientific papers. But, although I have no formal education in biology (except for a freshman class a few decades ago), I was able to read most of these papers. I find that very appropriate since the collection is a memorial to Stephen Jay Gould, who is well known for his extremely readable essays for non-scientists.

These papers were published by a scientific journal and are still much more technical than Gould's Natural History essays. I have found a phrase which I think shows the general technical level of these papers: "...the monophyly of the triploblasts, those bilaterians possessing true mesoderm." If you are comfortable with that, I think you will enjoy and learn from this collection.

At least that was my experience I did have to struggle with parts. For example, evolution at the level of species as opposed to individuals was difficult; a few examples would have helped a lot. (If it would help you to know more about my technical level, you can click on my name, above, or on "See all my reviews".)

Each paper expands on some aspect of Gould's writings, especially his technical writing. Fans of his essays will be familiar with contingency, exaptation, punctuated equilibrium, the neutral theory, and, probably, some other topics. But these papers go deeper. For, example, in reading the essays, I couldn't understand why there was controversy about punctuated equilibrium; the concept seemed too obvious. Not surprisingly, I now find that there was a lot more to the theory, enough for the controversy to make sense.

The term "macroevolution" refers to changes that are more rapid than those Darwin wrote about. Besides the topics I mentioned above, developmental genes, mass extinctions, and variations in the timing of development promote rapid evolution. Most of what I've read about macroevolution has been about animals; to give a little bit of balance, there is a paper here about plants.

To sum up: if you're a nonscientist and have read several elementary and somewhat advanced books about evolution and you want to go one step further, this may well be the book you want. I certainly enjoyed it and will read it again.

[Original review 8 April 2006. Revised for clarity 6 June 2006.]

Human Paleobiology (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology)

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No Bones About It

Human Paleobiology (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology)
Robert B. Eckhardt
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Skeleton Keys: An Introduction to Human Skeletal Morphology, Development, and Analysis Includes CD-ROM

ASIN: 0521451604

Book Description

Human Paleobiology provides a unifying framework for the study of past and present human populations to a range of changing environments. It integrates evidence from studies of human adaptability, comparative primatology, and molecular genetics to document consistent measures of genetic distance among subspecies, species, and other taxonomic groupings. These findings support the interpretation of human biology in terms of fewer number of populations characterized by higher levels of genetic continuity than previously hypothesized. Using this as a basis, Robert Eckhardt goes on to analyze problems in human paleobiology including phenotypic differentiation, patterns of species range expansion, and phyletic succession in terms of the patterns and processes still observable in extant populations. This book will be a challenging and stimulating read for students and researchers interested in human paleobiology or evolutionary anthropology.

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Human Paleobiology provides a unifying framework for the study of human populations, both past and present, to a range of changing environments. It integrates evidence from studies of human adaptability, comparative primatology, and molecular genetics to document consistent measures of genetic distance between subspecies, species and other taxonomic groupings. These findings support the interpretation of the biology of humans in terms of a smaller number of populations characterized by higher levels of genetic continuity than previously hypothesized. Using this as a basis, Robert Eckhardt then goes on to analyze problems in human paleobiology including phenotypic differentiation, patterns of species range expansion and phyletic succession in terms of the patterns and processes still observable in extant populations. This book will be a challenging and stimulating read for students and researchers interested in human paleobiology or evolutionary anthropology.

Customer Reviews:

No Bones About It.......2001-05-17

Human Paleobiology by Robert Eckhardt addresses the conundrum affecting the study of human evolution: as more data become available, the less clear becomes our understanding of mankind?s past. Dr. Eckhardt skillfully points out that this needn?t be the case if paleobiologists grasp certain fundamental concepts. These include, among others, an understanding of intra-population variability, the impact of small progressive changes on the overall rate of change in a character, and the difference between a population?s phenotypic profile and it?s genotypic structure. Eckhardt meticulously demonstrates how taking these factors into account makes the fossil record less puzzling, particularly as new data are obtained. One cannot help but be impressed by Eckhardt?s breadth and depth of knowledge.

Although disdaining colorful theories, Eckhardt?s writing style is certainly not drab. Drawing on examples from areas as diverse as the stock market to the humor of James Thurber, Human Paleobiology makes for a particularly good read. Which is not to say that it is an easy read. Scientists like myself who are outside the field of evolutionary biology may find the sections on primates as well as the inventory of the fossil record a bit protracted. Additionally, the complexity of the material covered cries out for the inclusion of a glossary.

Some readers may consider Eckhardt too contentious. Personally I enjoyed the author?s pugilistic precision in KO?ing fallacious nostrums. While Eckhardt doesn?t pull any punches his rational and equitable arguments are always blows above the belt. Personally I can?t wait until the nascent fields of genomics and bioinformatics start to generate copious amounts of information, requiring a second edition of Human Paleobiology. When that occurs no doubt Eckhardt will once again come out swinging.

Book Description

Over the past 25 years, a stream of fossil and artifact discoveries in the Afar Depression of Ethiopia has produced the longest single record of human ancestors in the world. Many of the fossils found in this region are the missing links leading to modern humans. This book chronicles the exploration of this unique desert area, focusing especially on the 1970s when the valley was mapped and many fossils and archeological sites were discovered. The author gives his personal account of the 25 years he spent researching the region.
As co-founder of the team that discovered Lucy, Jon Kalb has first-hand knowledge of the research that was involved in the findings of this region and of the intense rivalry that has accompanied those findings. He discusses the political drama of Ethiopia and the effects this chaos had on the Afar. This book covers the scientific discoveries of the area, the author's own explorations and findings, and the political struggles involved with these discoveries.

Customer Reviews:

Fresh View on Looking at Old Fossils.......2006-01-03

I thought all this time that seeking old fossil material in some hot dry place would be boring but this book took away that idea. Its really entertaining, besides being full of facts about the part of Africa where we might have started being human.
I would recommend it to any one who wants to chuckle and learn at the same time...

Stoned in Ethiopia!.......2002-11-08

Wow! If you like science, this book has it all. Kalb gives a serious accounting of plate tectonics, geology, anthropology, paleoanthropology and politics. Both the politics of Ethiopia and of hominid anthropology.
This is the second book that I have read where Don Johanson, discoverer of the Lucy fossil, is lambasted. I am beginning to believe that Johanson left alot of people in his wake, including Kalb, on his way to fame and fortune. Kalb even gives details of Johanson's marijuana smoking exploits. Scandalous!
It is Kalb who worked behind the scenes to elucidate the geology of the Afar region of Africa and set the stage for the advancement of many discoveries in the field of paleoanthropology. And he did it while dodging the bullets of a communist revolution! Kalb survives even though he is suspected of being a CIA operative planted in Ethiopia under the guise of his scientific mission. Kalb suspects that it was his falling out with Johanson that caused this little tidbit of doubt to be planted in the minds of the Ethiopian government. Kalb spends alot of effort over a few years fighting this charge, but he eventually loses and is expelled from Ethiopia.
Kalb's story includes his sometimes angst ridden dealings with the Ethiopian government, who it seems are caught in the middle of a struggle of competing groups to exert dominance over the rich fossil beds of the Afar triangle. The struggle is not just between competing organizations of American science, but also between the Americans and a French team that comes close to stealing the show.
The only flaw in the book is the way that Kalb weaves the recent history of Ethiopia into the book. That could have been a book in and of itself. Kalb is best when discussing geology and anthropology. The Ethiopian revolution and subsequent war with Somalia and Eritrea is distracting to the reader. Kalb's first hand journalist account of the struggles of the Ethiopian government is superb, but it would have stood on it's own. Kalb tried to write two books in one and almost pulled it off.
One of the reasons why I read this genre of books is that it always offers surprises. One of Kalb's characters, Doug Cramer, assists in creating a couple of interesting fireside stories. Cramer taught Anatomy at NYU medical school. As an alumnus of NYU medical school, I remember Cramer well. We used to call him "The Viking" for his looks and demeanor. Cramer used to tell us that he was a "pastist", and now, twenty-five years later I understand what he meant. I am sure that Kalb could easily have written a book solely dealing with Cramer's antics.
This is a must read for any armchair paleoanthropologists like myself. I am now inspired to read "Lucy" again given all the information I have about Johanson. The book was a page turner for me and I think that you will enjoy it.
Thank you, Jon Kalb, for your contribution to paleoanthropology. I hope that you can get back to Ethiopia to make some of the discoveries that you say will eventually be unearth there.

Down and dirty with J Kalb.......2001-12-12

The geology is a bit daunting, but the book is quite readable for anyone with a smattering of earth science background.

The inside poop on competing researchers is funny as hell. Kalb shows SOME restraint in detailing Johanson's efforts to block his (Kalb's) access to the Afar, more restraint than was called for if Kalb's claims are true...

Insights into the politics and history of Ethiopia abound.

Great stuff overall. Well written.

Fascinating reading!.......2001-09-15

Kalb takes a subject which could be as dry as old bones in a desert and makes it living and fresh. He combines real life drama with an informative tour of the competitive worlds of geology and anthropology. A fellow member of the Texas Coalition of Authors told me, "He is the personification of Indiana Jones."

I have read many books and many soon become a weariness of the flesh (Ecclesiastes 12:12) but not this one. It is fascinating reading; informative and entertaining.

A Truly Superior Book about Doing Science........2001-05-08

This is a book about exploring for humanoid fossils in the Afar Depression of Ethiopia from 1967 to 1976 during the overthrow of the Haile Selassie government and the beginning of the Derg--Mengistu Marxist regime. Rare indeed is the book that gives a good sense of the ambience along with immense readability. It is mostly about the geology and anthropology of the Ethiopian Rift Valley, but anyone interested in science will find this book fascinating because it is really a story about "doing" science: the fun, the people, the jealousies, ambitions, dirty pool, and and an exceedingly fine discussion of why the digging and excitement occurs in Ethiopia.

Book Description

The Human Fossil Record series is the most authoritative and comprehensive documentation of the fossil evidence relevant to the study of our evolutionary past. It fills the critical need for a complete resource that provides detailed morphological descriptions based on uniformly applied protocols, along with all new photographs taken exclusively for the series. This fourth volume covers the craniodental remains of early hominids of the genera Australopithecus, Paranthropus, Orrorin, as well as providing a concluding survey of hominid craniodental morphologies.

In this monumental and groundbreaking new series, the authors use clearly defined terminology and descriptive protocols that are applied uniformly throughout. Organized alphabetically by site name, with detailed morphological descriptions and original, expertly taken photographs, each entry features:

Morphology
Location information
History of discovery
Previous systematic assessments of the fossils
Geological, archaeological, and faunal contexts
Dating
References to the primary literature

Book Description

The Human Fossil Record
Volume one
Terminology and Craniodental Morphology of Genus Homo (Europe)
Jeffrey H. Schwartz
Ian Tattersall

The Human Fossil Record series is the most authoritative and comprehensive documentation of the fossil evidence relevant to the study of our evolutionary past. This first volume covers the craniodental remains from Europe that have been attributed to the genus Homo. Here the authors also clearly define the terminology and descriptive protocol that is applied uniformly throughout the series. Organized alphabetically by site name, each entry includes clear descriptions and original, expertly taken photographs, as well as:

Morphology
Location information
History of discovery
Previous systematic assessments of the fossils
Geological, archaeological, and faunal contexts
Dating
References to the primary literature

The Human Fossil Record series is truly a must-have reference for anyone seriously interested in the study of human evolution.

Customer Reviews:

Handy Reference Work.......2003-11-14

"...a handsomely produced volume which will make a handy reference work for paleoanthropologists studying fossil cranial morphology." (American Journal of Human Biology, Vol. 15, No. 5, September/October 2003)

Excellent Resource.......2003-07-07

I was attracted to the clear photographs and the concise information in this book. This is an excellent reference with a collection of the major finds in Europe. As a student I would read about a find in an article. With this book I was able to quickly look the fossils up. This book allows the reader to either become familiar with certain remains or gain specific information about bone dimensions. Either way, this book will prove to be an important part of any physical anthropologist's library for years to come. It is certainly worth the investment.

BRILLIANT STUDY.......2002-01-14

An incredible and essential source for all scholars in this field as well as interested lay people.
Presented beautifully.
Shelf life is forever.

The Human Fossil Record, Craniodental Morphology of Genus i Homo/i (Africa and Asia) (The Human Fossil Record)

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The Human Fossil Record, Craniodental Morphology of Genus i Homo/i (Africa and Asia) (The Human Fossil Record)
Jeffrey H. Schwartz , and Ian Tattersall
Manufacturer: Wiley-Liss
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Human Fossil Record, Terminology and Craniodental Morphology of Genus I Homo/I (Europe) (The Human Fossil Record)

ASIN: 0471319287

Book Description

The Human Fossil Record series is the most authoritative and comprehensive documentation of the fossil evidence relevant to the study of our evolutionary past. This second volume covers the craniodental remains from Africa and Asia attributed to the genus Homo. In this monumental and groundbreaking new series, the authors use clearly defined terminology and descriptive protocols that are applied uniformly throughout. Organized alphabetically by site name with detailed morphological descriptions and original, expertly taken photographs, each entry features:

Location information
History of discovery
Previous systematic assessments of the fossils
Geological, archaeological, and faunal contexts
Dating
References to the primary literature

Dental Perspectives on Human Evolution: State of the art research in dental paleoanthropology (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology)

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Dental Perspectives on Human Evolution: State of the art research in dental paleoanthropology (Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1402058446

Book Description

The objective of the volume is to bring together, in one collection, the most innovative dental anthropological research as it pertains to the study of hominid evolution. In the past few decades both the numbers of hominin dental fossils and the sophistication of the techniques used to analyze them have increased substantially. Contributions focus on dental morphometrics, growth and development, diet and dental evolution. The contributed chapters include crown morphology, microstructure, microwear, stable isotope data, recent genetic research and new methodologies, including 3-D imaging, confocal microscopy and computer modeling.

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