Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 131 pages
• Published by: Oxford University Press, USA January 12, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0192803603
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0192803603
• Book Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.4 x 0.4 inches
• Weighs: 2.4 ounces

Product Description
The recent discovery of the diminutive Homo floresiensis (nicknamed "the Hobbit") in Indonesia has sparked new interest in the study of human evolution. In this Very Short Introduction, renowned evolutionary scholar Bernard Wood traces the history of paleoanthropology from its beginnings in the eighteenth century to today's latest fossil finds. Along the way we are introduced to the lively cast of characters, past and present, involved in evolutionary research. Although concentrating on the fossil evidence for human evolution, the book also covers the latest genetic evidence about regional variations in the modern human genome that relate to our evolutionary history. Wood draws on over thirty years of experience to provide an insiders view of the field, and demonstrates that our understanding of human evolution is critically dependent on advances in related sciences such as paleoclimatology, geochronology, systematics, genetics, and developmental biology. This is an ideal introduction for anyone interested in the origins and development of humankind.

About The Author

Bernard Wood is Henry R. Luce Professor of Human Origins at George Washington University and the Smithsonian Institution.


Reader Reviews
Human Evolution by Bernard Wood is just the facts and only the facts. At 131 pages this is all the updated information about human related fossils, up to the year 2005, and the debates about what they mean. The book starts out explaining about the Tree Of Life, what fossils are, how they are found and how they are used as evidence. Everything is clear and crisp, Mr. Wood treats the reader to a lesson in paleoanthropology, without moving too swiftly but without talking down to the reader. Can be finished in a day or two, no problem. Great for people new to the subject or as a small guide for those on the go.