Physical anth 02/03

by DUSHKIN

• ISBN13: 9780072506303
• ISBN10: 007250630X
• Edition: 11th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-11-29
• Publisher: MCGRAW HILL PUBL CO

Table of Contents

To the Reader	iv
Topic Guide	xi
Selected World Wide Web Sites	xiv
UNIT 1 Natural Selection
Four articles examine the link between genetics and the process of natural selection
Unit Overview	xvi
The Growth of Evolutionary Science	2	(10)
Douglas J. Futuyma
Before the rise of science, the causes of orderly events were sought in the divine purposes they were thought to have served. Today, patterns and designs are seen to be the result of natural selection
Darwin's influence on Modern Thought	12	(4)
Ernst Mayr
As Ernst Mayr points out, our conception of the world and our place in it is, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, drastically different from the Zeitgeist, or ``spirit of the times,'' at the beginning of the ninteenth century. The one person most responsible for this change is Charles Darwin
Curse and Blessing of the Ghetto	16	(5)
Jared Diamond
Tay-Sachs disease is a choosy killer, one that for centuries targeted Eastern European Jews above all others. Jared Diamond reports that, by decoding its lethal logic, we can learn a great deal about how genetic diseases evolve-and how they can be conquered
The Saltshaker's Curse	21	(5)
Jared Diamond
Physiological adaptations that at one time helped West Africans and their descendants cope with unusually high salt loss may now be predisposing African Americans to hypertension and a premature death
UNIT 2 Primates
Ten selections examine some of the social relationships in the primate world and how they mirror human society
Unit Overview	26	(45)
Machiavellian Monkeys	28	(4)
James Shreeve
Deception plays such an important role in primate survival that it may not simply be the result of great intelligence. James Shreeve indicates that it may also be a driving force behind the development of intelligence
What Are Friends For?	32	(5)
Barbara Smuts
Barbara Smuts reports that an understanding of friendship bonds among baboons is not only destroying our stereotypes about monkeys in the wild, but it is also calling into question traditional views concerning the relationships between the sexes in early hominid evolution
Fossey in the Mist	37	(4)
Robert M. Sapolsky
The memory of Dian Fossey will be forever filled with contradictions and controversy. She began as a scientist studying gorillas in the wild and quickly became a conservationist. Her methods, however, would ultimately lead to the murders of both the gorillas and herself
The Mind of the Chimpanzee	41	(5)
Jane Goodall
It has long been recognized that the differences in anatomy and physiology between apes and humans are a matter of degree. Because of the work of Jane Goodall, we have come to realize that there is continuity in mental and emotional development as well
The Cultures of Chimpanzees	46	(7)
Andrew Whiten
Christophe Boesch
The rudimentary cultural capacities of the chimpanzee not only sharpens our understanding of our uniqueness as humans, but it also suggests an ancient ancestry for the mental abilities that we and the chimpanzees have in common
Dim Forest, Bright Chimps	53	(4)
Christophe Boesch
Hedwige Boesch-Achermann
Contrary to expectations, forest-dwelling chimpanzees seem to be more committed to cooperative hunting and tool use than are savanna chimpanzees. Such findings may have implications for the course of human evolution
To Catch a Colobus	57	(3)
Craig B. Stanford
When chimpanzees in Gombe National Park band together to hunt red colobus monkeys, the most important ingredient seems to be the number of males and the presence of at least one estrous female. Craig Stanford indicates that their goals appear to be more social than dietary
Coping with Crowding	60	(5)
Frans B. M. de Waal
Filippo Aureli
Peter G. Judge
A persistent and popular view holds that high population density inevitably leads to violence. These authors report that this myth, which is based on rat research, applies neither to humans nor to other primates
Aping Language	65	(3)
Sharon Begley
New studies suggest that the brains of chimps possess the same structures for syntax and meaning that ours do. This fact, in turn, would suggest that the last common ancestor of chimps and humans had and used these structures too
Are we in Anthropodenial?	68	(3)
Frans de Waal
To endow animals with human emotions and mental qualities has long been a scientific taboo, but the more we learn about them, especially our closer relatives, the more it seems that there really are similarities, as Frans de Waal's research indicates
UNIT 3 Sex and Society
Eight articles discuss the relationship between the sexes and the evolution of a social structure
Unit Overview	71	(40)
These are Real Swinging Primates	73	(5)
Shannon Brownlee
Although the muriqui monkeys of Brazil are heavily invested in reproductive competition, they seem to get along just fine without a dominance hierarchy and fighting over females. In other words, Shannon Brownlee reports, their mission in life seems geared to making love, not war
The Myth of the Coy Female	78	(4)
Carol Tavris
It may be impossible for us to observe the behavior of other species in a way that does not mirror the assumptions of our own way of life. In this light, Carol Tavris maintains that primate behavior and the theories it generates need to be handled with care
Mothers and Others	82	(6)
Sarah Blaffer Hrdy
In many species, including our own, mothers are assisted by others in rearing their offspring. The more we adhere to this evolutionary heritage of ``cooperative breeding,'' the more likely we are to raise emotionally healthy children
Big Brains and Parenting	88	(7)
John M. Allman
Large-brained, slowly developing, dependent offspring require long-surviving parents in order to reach maturity. A measure of this parental dependency effect is the differential survival of caretakers versus noncaretakers
A Woman's Curse?	95	(4)
Meredith F. Small
Meredith Small reports on an anthropologist's study of the ritual of seclusion surrounding women's menstrual cycles, which has some rather profound implications regarding human evolution, certain cultural practices, and women's health
Why Women Change	99	(5)
Jared Diamond
The winners of evolution's race are those who leave behind the most offspring to carry on their progenitors' genes. So, asks Jared Diamond, doesn't it seem odd that human females should experience menopause?
What's Love Got to do With It?	104	(4)
Meredith F. Small
The bonobos' use of sex to reduce tension and to form alliances is raising some interesting questions regarding human evolution. In Meredith Small's review, this question is raised: Does this behavior help to explain the origins of our sexuality, or should we see it as just another primate aberration that occurred after humans and primates split from their common lineage?
Apes of Wrath	108	(3)
Barbara Smuts
Whether or not males beat up females in a particular species seems to have a great deal to do with who is forming alliances with whom. Barbara Smuts indicates that this, in turn, has powerful implications as to what can be done about sexual coercion in the human species
UNIT 4 The Fossil Evidence
Four selections discuss some of the fossil evidence for hominid evolution
Unit Overview	111	(21)
Early Hominid Fossils From Africa	113	(5)
Meave Leakey
Alan Walker
Fossil finds in Africa display similarities to modern African apes. As these authors report, not only do these discoveries hint at our common ancestry with apes, but the environmental context is raising questions about whether early hominids evolved on the savanna or in a more wooded setting
One Giant Step for Mankind	118	(6)
Michael D. Lemonick
Andrea Dorfman
Evidence for a chimplike forest creature with upright posture is showing up from between 5 and 6 million years ago in what was once the fertile woodlands of northeast Africa. We still do not know, however, whether these creatures were our ancestors or just another branch on the evolutionary bush
A New Human Ancestor?	124	(4)
Elizabeth Culotta
Elizabeth Culotta writes that recent discoveries in Ethiopia may generate more questions than answers, but one finding is the best evidence yet for animal butchery by hominids 2.5 million years ago
Scavenger Hunt	128	(4)
Pat Shipman
Microscopic analyses of tooth wear and cut marks on bone, combined with an increased understanding of the advantages of bipedalism, point in the direction of a ``man the scavenger'' model rather than ``man the hunter,'' Pat Shipman reports
UNIT 5 Late Hominid Evolution
Nine articles examine archaeological evidence of human evolution
Unit Overview	132	(45)
Erectus Rising	134	(6)
James Shreeve
Most paleoanthropologists used to agree that Homo erectus was confined to Africa until one million years ago. Author James Shreeve notes that new finds and a new dating method are challenging that view
Doubting Dmanisi	140	(4)
Pat Shipaman
When anthropologists scrutinize a colleague's work, they like to think they are being objective. As recent discoveries relating to Homo erectus have shown, the individuals involved may determine why one claim is accepted and another is rejected. In other words, the facts never speak for themselves
The Scavenging of ``Peking Man''	144	(5)
Noel T. Boaz
Russell L. Ciochon
Excavations from 1921 to 1982 at Dragon Bone Hill in China uncovered the remains of 45 individuals, Homo erectus pekinesis, with their tools and debris dating from 300,000 to 600,000 years ago. The authors try to determine whether these relatives of ours used fire, and whether they were cannibals, hunters, or the hunted
Old Masters	149	(3)
Pat Shipman
Systematic analyses of the cave paintings in Europe reveal Cro-Magnons' intimate knowledge of the animals hunted and, perhaps, even purposeful ritual associated with the images
Secrets of the Cave's Art	152	(2)
Sharon Begley
The oldest cave art known to science reveals techniques supposedly thousands of years before their time-animals that were otherwise not normally depicted and symbolism that seems ``to capture the essence of the animals.''
The Gift of Gab	154	(5)
Matt Cartmill
While the origin of human language is rooted in aspects of psychology and biology that we share with our close animal relatives, Matt Cartmill proposes that our kind of communication seems to be associated with making tools and throwing weapons
The Dating Game	159	(5)
James Shreeve
James Shreeve writes that newly discovered dating methods are challenging previous notions about the evolution of Homo sapiens. The accuracy of these methods, however, is still a matter of controversy
Who Were the Neandertals?	164	(9)
Kate Wong
Controversial new evidence indicates that the Neanderthals may not have been just another failed species, but perhaps were successfully adapted to their environment when more modern humans entered Europe, interbred with them and, genetically speaking, swamped them out of existence
Archaeologists Rediscover Cannibals	173	(4)
Ann Gibbons
From digs around the world, researchers have unearthed strong new evidence of cannibalism. People may have eaten their own kind from the early days of human evolution through recent prehistory, as indicated by author Ann Gibbons
UNIT 6 Human Diversity
Four articles examine human racial evolution and diversity
Unit Overview	177	(23)
The Lost Man	179	(9)
Douglas Preston
Recent skeletal findings of ``Kenewick Man'' indicate that the first Americans might not be who we think they were. Before the evidence could be adequately studied, however, the U.S. government withheld the bones. Native Americans want to rebury the bones, and archaeologists have gone to court to reclaim them. Douglas Preston asserts that in the process, issues of race and ethnicity have been brought to a steaming head
Black, White, Other	188	(3)
Jonathan Marks
With regard to classifying human beings, Jonathan Marks notes that the central message of anthropology is, You may group humans into a small number of races if you want to, but biological evidence does not support it
Racial Odyssey	191	(5)
Boyce Rensberger
Despite the many attempts over the past 200 years to classify humans into separate and ``pure'' races, Boyce Rensberger reports that the consensus among geneticists and anthropologists is that there are overlapping differences among us that are matters of degree rather than of kind
The Tall and the Short of It	196	(4)
Barry Bogin
Rather than being able to adapt to a single environment, we can-thanks to our genetically endowed plasticity-change our bodies to cope with a wide variety of environments. In this light, Barry Bogin reports on research that suggests that we can use the average height of any group of people as a barometer of the health of their society
UNIT 7 Living with the Past
Four articles discuss evolutionary theory and the impact of genetic heritage on our present and our future
Unit Overview	200	(19)
Profile of an Anthropologist: No Bone Unturned	202	(5)
Patrick Huyghe
Patrick Huyghe reports that the skills displayed by physical anthropologists and archaeologists in the analysis of old bones have resulted in the development of a whole new field: forensic anthropology
The Viral Superhighway	207	(5)
George J. Armelagos
According to George Armelagos, international travel as well as environmental disruptions have accelerated the occurrence of serious, new diseases upon humans. However, protective cultural practices could provide a countervailing effect to fight the encroachments of many diseases
Dr. Darwin	212	(4)
Lori Oliwenstein
Lori Oliwenstein reports that the application of Darwin's theory of evolution to the understanding of human diseases will not only help us to better treat the symptoms of diseases, but it also promises to help us understand how microbes and humans have evolved in relation to one another
Kansas Recants	216	(3)
Leon Albert
Recent efforts to limit the teaching of evolution in the classroom and to replace it with the concepts of ``Scientific Creationism'' or ``Intelligent Design'' serve to highlight the differences between modern science on the one hand and simplistic folk theology on the other
Index	219	(3)
Test Your Knowledge Form	222	(1)
Article Rating Form	223