The Last Human: A Guide to Twenty-two Species of Extinct HumansYale University Press, 1 ene 2007 - 256 páginas This book tells the story of human evolution, the epic of "Homo sapiens "and its colorful precursors and relatives. The story begins in Africa, six to seven million years ago, and encompasses twenty known human species, of which "Homo sapiens" is the sole survivor. Illustrated with spectacular, three-dimensional scientific reconstructions portrayed in their natural habitat developed by a team of physical anthropologists at the American Museum of Natural History and in concert with experts from around the world, the book is both a guide to extinct human species and an astonishing hominid family photo album. "The Last Human" presents a comprehensive account of each species with information on its emergence, chronology, geographic range, classification, physiology, lifestyle, habitat, environment, cultural achievements, co-existing species, and possible reasons for extinction. Also included are summaries of fossil discoveries, controversies, and publications. What emerges from the fossil story is a new understanding of "Homo sapiens," No longer credible is the notion that our species is the end product of a single lineage, improved over generations by natural selection. Rather, the fossil record shows, we are a species with widely varied precursors, and our family tree is characterized by many branchings and repeated extinctions. Exhibition information: Photographs of most of the reconstructions that appear in this book will be featured in exhibits appearing in the new Hall of Human Origins at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The opening of the Hall is planned for November 2006. |
Índice
Morning Encounters A Handful of KnowHow | 151 |
Ardipithecus ramidus and kadabba 39 Homo erectus | 158 |
A Winter Nights Desperation | 166 |
THE APPEARANCE OF THE HUMAN LINEAGE An Island Sunset for the Little People | 176 |
Australopithecus anamensis 50 | 185 |
The First Nomad? | 194 |
Dispatching a Mortal Enemy Greed and Equality | 201 |
The First ToolUsing Scavenger? | 210 |
The Animal Trap | 222 |
To Live and Die on the High Veldt AFTERWORD BY Meave Leakey | 230 |
A Two Leg Advantage APPENDIX 2 | 237 |
Homo habilis 124 | 245 |
251 | |
Términos y frases comunes
Allia Bay anamensis Animals and Habitats apemen apes arm bone associated Australopithecus afarensis Australopithecus africanus Australopithecus garhi baboon bone shaft braincase canine cave cheek teeth climate deposits diet early hominid elephant Ethiopia extinct eye sockets face female forest Formation Fossil Sites fossils fragments front teeth genera georgicus Hadar holotype holotype specimen hominid Homo antecessor Homo erectus Homo ergaster Homo floresiensis Homo habilis Homo heidelbergensis Homo pekinensis human-like hyena jaw bone joint surfaces kadabba Kanapoi Kenya Kenyanthropus KNM-ER KNM-WT Koobi Laetoli Lake Turkana legs limb living lower jaw Makapansgat male mammals man-ape Member million years ago modern humans molar monkeys Museum Neanderthals Olduvai Orrorin Paranthropus aethiopicus Paranthropus boisei prehistoric premolar rainfall reconstruction relatively remains River Sahelanthropus Sangiran sediments Sites and Possible skeleton skull base species name Sterkfontein stone tools suggest Swartkrans temperatures thigh bone tion tooth row tree Trinil Tuff upper jaw