World History: Human Origins

Spans everything from the lowest forms of life--the protozoa--to the highest forms of mammals.

Johanson, the discoverer, in 1974, of "Lucy"--the oldest skeleton of an erect-walking human yet found--reports the story of his internationally acclaimed find and speculates on its meaning for the understanding of our origin.

Profiles hundreds of fascinating species in incredible detail; features breathtaking, state-of-the-art images; explores the concept of geological time; and explains the classification of species and how the evidence for their evolution is preserved and can be deciphered.

Proposes that the strides made in paleontology have helped with understanding evolution, and discusses how fossils, prominent scientists, technology, and other factors have each influenced the theory's development.

Tells the story of evolution by tracing the organs of the human body back millions of years, long before the first creatures walked the earth. By examining fossils and DNA, Shubin shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our head is organized like that of a long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genome look and function like those of worms and bacteria.

Beyond any reasonable doubt -- The bloodless fish of Bouvet Island -- The everyday math of evolution: chance, selection, and time -- Immortal genes: running in place for eons -- Making the new from the old -- Fossil genes: broken pieces of yesterday's life -- Déjà vu: how and why evolution repeats itself -- Our flesh and blood: arms races, the human race, and natural selection -- The making and evolution of complexity -- Seeing and believing -- The palm trees of Wyoming.

Takes the reader to the essence of the key topics in genetics and evolution, exploring recent discoveries and ongoing debates. The 500-entry keyword section provides a bonus "mini-encyclopedia" of central terms and concepts, while the fact files present critical information in easy-to-read charts and graphs.

The Leakey Family tells the complete story of this talented family of anthropologists who charted the search for origins in East Africa and discovered Homo habilis.

Contends that all modern humans share a single racial stock and that modern humankind emerged out of Africa less than one hundred thousand years ago and replaced all other human populations that had walked the earth.

Discusses the power of the theory of natural selection and shows how Darwin's great idea transforms and illuminates our traditional view of our place in the universe.

Presents 600 articles on evolution.

Introduction -- Origins -- Body -- Mind -- Life cycle -- Society -- Culture -- Peoples -- Future.

Explores our long-buried past—from the feral roots of humanity, through the eons of time, to society today, replete with its wonders and anomalies—searching for valuable insights into the future of modern society.

Threading his own way and drawing his own conclusions, Shreeve presents a measured case for what really happened to the Neanderthals.

Over 400 cultural and natural sites throughout 90 countries are depicted through site descriptions, essays, and over 500 color photographs.

A comprehensive and illustrated reference work: how we evolved, how our bodies work and develop, and how we think and behave, this unbelievable reference examines the qualities all humans share but also highlights the diversity of human society and culture.

Young earth. Exploring earth's past ; The origin of the earth ; The first 500 million years ; Plate tectonics ; Changing climates ; Life and evolution ; Classification ; Mass extinctions ; Types of fossils ; Information in the fossil record ; Key fossil sites ; The geological timescale -- Life on earth. Archean ; Proterozoic ; Cambrian ; Ordovician ; Silurian ; Devonian ; Carboniferous ; Permian ; Triassic ; Jurassic ; Cretaceous ; Paleogene ; Neogene ; Quaternary -- The rise of the humans. Human relatives ; Human ancestors ; Origins of modern humans ; Out of Africa ; European hunter gatherers ; Paleolithic cave art ; After the ice.

The story of how the human mind evolved and what happened once Homo sapiens learned to speak.