Worldwide Variation in Human Growth

Worldwide Variation in Human Growth

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The health of a population is most accurately reflected in the rate of growth of its children. This theme, prevalent in this book, underlies the analysis and presentation of what is by far the largest compilation of growth data ever assembled in one source. The first edition, published in 1976, included all known reliable recent results on height, weight, skinfolds, and other body measurements from all parts of the globe. In this edition, numerous subsequent measurements taken between 1976 and 1988 have been included, as well as the results of a large number of new studies made on rate of maturation as evinced by bone age and pubertal development stages. Many sections of the book dwell on disentangling the effects of the environment and heredity on growth, and attempt to answer the question of whether one universal standard suffices for all peoples of the world or whether different populations (such as races or nations) should each have their own optimal growth standards.

 

The Emergence of Man: The Neanderthals

The Emergence of Man: The Neanderthals

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Book 4 of the Time Life series The Emergence of Man.

 

Human Biology: An Evolutionary and Biocultural Perspective

Human Biology: An Evolutionary and Biocultural Perspective

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This comprehensive introduction to the field of human biology covers all the major areas of the field: genetic variation, variation related to climate, infectious and non-infectious diseases, aging, growth, nutrition, and demography. Written by four expert authors working in close collaboration, this second edition has been thoroughly updated to provide undergraduate and graduate students with two new chapters: one on race and culture and their ties to human biology, and the other a concluding summary chapter highlighting the integration and intersection of the topics covered in the book.

 

Picture Imperfect: Photography and Eugenics, 1879-1940

Picture Imperfect: Photography and Eugenics, 1879-1940

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Picture Imperfect documents and critically analyzes the photographs that helped strengthen, as well as bring down, the Eugenics Movement. Using a large body of racial-type images and a variety of historical and archival sources, and concentrating mainly on developments in Britain, the US, and Nazi Germany, the author argues that photography, as the most powerful visual medium of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was vital to the Eugenics Movement's success. Not only did photography allow eugenicists to identify the people with superior and inferior hereditary traits, but it helped publicize and lend scientific authority to eugenicists' racial theories. The author further argues for a strong connection between the racial-type photographs that eugenicists created and the photographic images produced by 19th-century anthropologists and prison authorities, and that the photographic works of contemporary liberal anthropologists played a significant role in the Eugenics Movement's downfall. Besides adding to our knowledge of photography's crucial role in helping to authorize and implement some of the most controversial social policies of modern times, Picture Imperfect makes a major contribution to our understanding of the history of racism.

 

Interacting with the Dead: Perspectives on Mortuary Archaeology for the New Millennium

Interacting with the Dead: Perspectives on Mortuary Archaeology for the New Millennium

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“The impressive geographical, temporal, and topical coverage makes this volume by far the best of its kind to appear in recent years.”—George R. Milner, Pennsylvania State University                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       “A kaleidoscopic collection of studies with fascinating insights into the myriad and bizarre ways that our species has treated its dead … global coverage of human interactions with our dead, past and present … an indispensable reference for all scholars interested in death and burial.”—Michael Parker Pearson, University of Sheffield This collection explores the behavioral and social facets of funerary, mortuary, and burial rites in both past and present societies. By utilizing data from around the world and combining recent and ongoing concerns in anthropology, it takes the study of mortuary archaeology to a new and significant level of interdisciplinary research.Drawing inspiration from ethnohistory, ethnography, bioarchaeology, and sociocultural anthropology, the authors focus on themes of gender, ancestorhood, ritual violence, individual agency, space and placement, and extended and secondary mortuary ceremonialism. They also expand the interdisciplinary focus of mortuary practices and reassess previous anthropological theories. No previously published work on the archaeology of mortuary remains presents such a range of examples of ritual practices through time and around the globe.Because of its wide scope and interdisciplinary approach, Interacting with the Dead will be indispensable not only to archaeologists and anthropologists but also across the social sciences and humanities and to all who study cross-cultural rituals.

 

Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology

Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology

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An essential supplement to a forensic anthropology text, this reader provides case studies that demonstrate innovative approaches and practical experiences in the field. The book provides both introductory and advanced students with a strong sense of the cases that forensic anthropologists become involved, along with their professional and ethical responsibilities, the scientific rigor required, and the multidisciplinary nature of the science. For courses in Forensic Anthropology and Forensic Science.

 

The Primate Mind: Built to Connect with Other Minds

The Primate Mind: Built to Connect with Other Minds

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Monkey see, monkey do may sound simple, but how an individual perceives and processes the behavior of another is one of the most complex and fascinating questions related to the social life of humans and other primates. In The Primate Mind, experts from around the world take a bottom-up approach to primate social behavior by investigating how the primate mind connects with other minds and exploring the shared neurological basis for imitation, joint action, cooperative behavior, and empathy.In the past, there has been a tendency to ask all-or-nothing questions, such as whether primates possess a theory of mind, have self-awareness, or have culture. A bottom-up approach asks, rather, what are the underlying cognitive processes of such capacities, some of which may be rather basic and widespread. Prominent neuroscientists, psychologists, ethologists, and primatologists use methods ranging from developmental psychology to neurophysiology and neuroimaging to explore these evolutionary foundations.A good example is mirror neurons, first discovered in monkeys but also assumed to be present in humans, that enable a fusing between one's own motor system and the perceived actions of others. This allows individuals to read body language and respond to the emotions of others, interpret their actions and intentions, synchronize and coordinate activities, anticipate the behavior of others, and learn from them. The remarkable social sophistication of primates rests on these basic processes, which are extensively discussed in the pages of this volume.