This new volume allows us to add key new discoveries and new researchers of the past 25 years. Critical fossil evidence (such as the Herto early modern remains from Ethiopia, the Oase early modern human remains from Romania, the Lagar Velho "hybrid" child from Portugal) were not available in 1984, and they, along with a much better chronological framework, provide a much clearer pattern of modern human origins. Genetic evidence including evolutionary inferences drawn from assesments of modern humans and large segments of the genome of the Neanderthal will be added to original theories, testing the robusticity of models developed in 1984. New theories and interpretations, such as the impact of digital imagery and more sophisticated morphometrics, have entered the analytical fray since 1984. The inclusion of younger scholars, who have used these techniques (and others) will enhance the coverage of this last great transition in human evolution greatly.