Origins Reconsidered: In Search of What Makes Us Human

Book Description

Richard Leakey's personal account of his fossil hunting and landmark discoveries at Lake Turkana, his reassessment of human prehistory based on new evidence and analytic techniques, and his profound pondering of how we became "human" and what being "human" really means.

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Convergence and Evolution.......2005-09-01

"Men it appears would rather believe than know. They would rather have the void of purpose...than to be void of purpose." E. O Wilson

There is a concept of "convergence" that is used by many evolutionary scholars to make their case that evolution is real, factual and not only tells us about history but allows us to make valid predictions about the future. This notion of convergence tells us that there is not one specific event or proof that guarantees that the theory of evolution is real but there exists detailed evidence in many arenas of science that all point to the same conclusion.

Origins Reconsidered provides a methodology of convergence that is critical in making a case for what appears obvious to the thinking individual. Unfortunately, the theory of Evolution requires constant re-proving. Evidence which has been overwhelming for the last 150 years is still subject to "debate" for a contingent large in numbers, who have attempted to erode the credibility of this science by locating little chinks in the over all armor. Briefly, convergence is the making of inductions from classes of facts that may be disparate in and of them selves, and making strong scientific cases for each class. Once that is done the convergence of all of these explanations makes an extraordinary case for the over all objective. In this case the objective is that the theory of evolution is once again, strong and obvious.

The book is written in six different parts that take the reader through an explanation of methodology, through some obvious conclusions and lastly into some speculation about what the future bodes. The authors tell most of the story in clear and sequential ways. Initially part one "In search of the Turkana Boy" is more prosaic and nearly fictional in style. It describes the setting and friendships amongst skilled and intellectual colleagues in search of "Missing link" or at least additional verification of paleo-anthropological evolution. In this section I did worry that I was reading the wrong book; that I was about to endure a book of anecdotes about what life in the anthropological dig would be. Fortunately I did not give up.

Leakey attempts to make a case for how the first humans came about. At what point are those of us who are considered human distinguished from other nearly similar hominoids? Leakey explores aspects of personality that of course include the use of tools but extends the search to the beginning of language, writing, musical instrument making and art to name a few aspects.

He explores the concept of consciousness and morality to further his premise. While many animals have instinctual altruism and show human signs of affection it is the ability to remember things distant and to create an ethical code of morality that distinguishes us from Cro-Magnons and other late near humans.

Leakey furthers his case by addressing evolution itself and the arguments against it. He talks about the arguments and dismisses them succinctly. "In many cases the urge to know surpasses what can be known; questions without answers." Many find this impossible to accept and seek mysticism in its place, extracting meaning where none exists.

Leakey would applaud the fact that mankind has evolved into the most powerful animal on earth but he has no delusions that this is part of a divine plan. There is no predestination in evolution. Mutations occur that are of benefit and help those survive to pass that gene on and improve the species. What has happened in history is only one possible result. There is no inherent superiority in adaptation. Humans have always tried to have a gap between them and animals mainly because of the need to assuage our subjective consciousness.

Origins Reconsidered also discusses how difficult paleontology really is. He uses the problem of distinguishing early hunter/gatherers from scavengers as an example. Both leave their orts in locations that are very difficult to distinguish. At the same time these are very different survivors.

Ultimately Leakey maintains that while currently humans rule the earth it may not always be so, at least not as we understand humans. He sees the future as one wrought with ecological problems. He uses the notion of mass extinction to make his point. He asserts that throughout history there have been many periods of natural mass extinction. Those were precipitated by events such as Ice Ages. He maintains that Biota are fairly resistant to natural disaster. Floods for instances can apparently wipe out some local vegetation but that same biota can revive. Man made ecological disaster is another matter. Leakey's concern is that the current trends toward smog, deforestation and global warming my create a pathos that vegetation cannot withstand.

Leakey and Lewin display very clearly, the science behind their own efforts but they also describe the weaknesses of science in making determinations about what is a human. Those weaknesses are noble when they are ascribed based on sound scientific theory and otherwise when "proven" by only considering results that make one's point.

Leakey may have an axe to grind. He presents excellent scientific evidence but was never trained as a scientist in any field. Of course he is a scion of one of the most prolific of paleontologists; he never received a degree of any sort to lend to his credentials. His skills come from "on the job training" but they are sound. I believe it is rare that an individual can produce sound evidence to back up their empirical claims without the scholarly background, Leakey has done it.

As a non scientist, it is my endeavor to understand evolution from as many perspectives as possible and this is a book that weighs heavily on that purpose.

Informative but..........2005-07-30

The book is informative but repetitive and Leakey writes sometimes in the form of a biography which is unnecesaary and the writings repetitiveness not only in the concept but also in word use is distracting. The words milieu and inexorably were used at least every other page. The editor should have cut the book in half.

Nice ideas...difficult reading.......2004-10-07

I almost gave this book 3 stars for it's difficult narrative style, but that would have taken away from the fact that it is full of great ideas. Lots of photos and illustrations cut through the slow moments. More info on the mitochondrial hypothesis would have been nice also. Still a great read all in all.

Interesting read with many thought-provoking theories.......2004-07-23

Richard Leakey is one of the most well-known, and respected, fossil-hunters today. One must stop to appreciate the irony of his rebellion toward his parents, without whom he may have actually had to go to college to establish the credibility he enjoys due to his last name.

Leakey's "shots" at Donald Johanson and other scientists aside, much of the analysis presented in "Origins Reconsidered" is quite interesting. His rebuttal of the "Lovejoy hypothesis" is well-articulated and rather persuasive. But the way he barely hints at his infamous "4-million-year-old homo habilis" fossil debacle (a claim he held far longer than evidence supported it) is awfully self serving.

The driving force behind Leakey's studies is this fundamental question: "what separated members of the genus homo from the "bipedal ape" australopithecines, and what were the environmental factors that favored homo's survival and led to australopithecus' extinction?" Nearly the entire book focuses on the analysis of this question, and rather eloquently at that.

This book would be best for the student of paleoanthropology, whose reading list on the subject would extend beyond this single volume. While scientifically valid, the range of theories in the area is vast, and each developing theory carries its own controversy. Only by understanding the range of these theories can one hope to have a good idea of the bipedal-ape-to-human evolution.

Good mea culpa.......2004-01-14

This book had to be written by the Leakeys if for no other reason than to rescue their reputations. For years, the Leakey family - mom, pop, son - were the last word on the topic of mankind's beginnings. As such they got most of it right but missed a few things.

Book Description

The fossil record on Mesozoic mammals has expanded by orders of magnitude over the past quarter century. New specimens, some of them breathtakingly complete, have been found in nearly all parts of the globe at a rapid pace. Coupled with the application of new scientific approaches and techniques, these exciting discoveries have led to profound changes in our interpretation of early mammal history.

Mesozoic mammals have come into their own as a rich source of information for evolutionary biology. Their record of episodic, successive radiations speaks to the pace and mode of evolution. Early mammals were small, but they provide key information on the morphological transformations that led to modern mammals, including our own lineage of Placentalia. Significant and fast-evolving elements of the terrestrial biota for much of the Mesozoic, early mammals have played an increasingly important role in studies of paleoecology, faunal turnover, and historical biogeography. The record of early mammals occupies center stage for testing molecular evolutionary hypotheses on the timing and sequence of mammalian radiations.

Organized according to phylogeny, this book covers all aspects of the anatomy, paleobiology, and systematics of all early mammalian groups, in addition to the extant mammalian lineages extending back into the Mesozoic.

The Rise of Placental Mammals: Origins and Relationships of the Major Extant Clades

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An integrative view of Placental Mammals origin and evolution

The Rise of Placental Mammals: Origins and Relationships of the Major Extant Clades

Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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Customer Reviews:

An integrative view of Placental Mammals origin and evolution.......2005-08-19

This new book offers a whole scope of the evolution of each main group of placental mammals, undiscovers the phylogenetic position of several previously unclassified taxa and integrates, as soon as possible, both molecular and paleontological perspectives of mammal classification. The chapters on bats, rodents and whales summarize the state of the art knowledge of scientifical research in mammalogy dealing with these critical issues. Perhaps, it would have been very interesting the addition of Meridiungulata, the main South American taxon, which is not mentioned in tthis revision. However, all other main taxa are examined thorougly and a wealth of genetic and morphological information is clearly exposed. A superb addition to all scientific libraries.

The Origin and Evolution of Mammals (Oxford Biology)

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Review from Journal of Mammology.......2002-08-06

'Up to now, a 'state of the art' summary of research on whale origins has not been available. This book admirably fills that void and should be added to the library of any serious mammologist or paleomammalogist.'
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Modern biology is increasingly focused on the role of repetitive anatomical structures in the embryological construction of organisms. The discovery of the homeobox (Hox) genes by Edward Lewis in 1978 ushered in a series of stunning revelations such as the fundamental commonality of insect segments and mammalian vertebrae - a wild and ridiculed idea first proposed by Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1822 that has now been proven correct. Axial Character Seriation in Mammals is an unabridged edition of the 1986 Harvard University PhD Thesis of Aaron G. Filler, MD, PhD that pioneered our modern reassessment of mammalian vertebrae in the light of the new homeotic biology. As Dr. Filler points out in fascinating detail, the leading explanations of similarity among animals before Darwin were arrayed around the vertebrae of the spine in works by Sir Richard Owen, Johann Wolfgang Goethe and Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. This was the theoretical structure that was overturned and demolished by Darwin's ideas about similarity due to common descent. In a stunning reversal, modern homeotic genetics has shown that repeating structures are indeed critical to understanding animal similarity. This work is the first study of the modern era that views vertebrae as a key to unlocking the way in which Nature has organized repeating biological structures. For the 150 years since the Great Academy Debate of 1830 appeared to demolish Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire's ideas, vertebrae have been seen as no more than some bones in Vertebrate animals that are involved in support and locomotion. Axial Character Seriation in Mammals, however, explores the fascinating traces of how the morphogenetic genes sculpt and organize serially repeating structures, thus re-establishing the vertebrae as a legitimate and compelling subject of modern science.

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The emergence of the vertebrate head.......2000-11-27

The general reader with some background in comparative anatomy, will find this reference an informative discussion on historical views (eg, Garstang, Gislén, Romer, etc), not so historical views (eg, Jefferies), and modern anatomical and molecular results concerning how vertebrates arose. A wide varieties of views are supported, but a number of conclusions are nonetheless formulated. Gislén's view of the carpoid as an echinoderm with chordate affinities is considered more correct than Jefferies' view of the carpoid as a chordate with echinoderm affinities. Recent molecular evidence supports chordates diverging from (echinoderms and hemichordates), and within the chordates, urochordates diverging from (cephalochordates and craniates). Larval paedomorphosis as the mechanism originating the vertebrates is unlikely, and the sessility of tunicates is probably a derived trait. While strong homologies between homeobox genes and organ systems in both arthropods and vertebrates are acknowledged, it is noted that molecular methods set deuterostome phyla clearly apart from protostome phyla, suggesting the direct ancestry of the vertebrates is not from the arthropods. Molecular methods also indicate that the amphioxus is not a degenerate vertebrate, but essentially a primitive one, and elaboration of its features leads to the emergence of the vertebrate head.

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