Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge

Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge

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This adventure in science and imagination, which the Medical Tribune said might herald a Copernican revolution for the life sciences, leads the reader through unexplored jungles and uncharted aspects of mind to the heart of knowledge.In a first-person narrative of scientific discovery that opens new perspectives on biology, anthropology, and the limits of rationalism, The Cosmic Serpent reveals how startlingly different the world around us appears when we open our minds to it.

 

Intelligence of Apes and Other Rational Beings

Intelligence of Apes and Other Rational Beings

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A new way to look at the mysteries of the animal mind What is animal intelligence? In what ways is it similar to human intelligence? Many behavioral scientists have realized that animals can be rational, can think in abstract symbols, can understand and react to human speech, and can learn through observation as well as conditioning many of the more complicated skills of life. Now Duane Rumbaugh and David Washburn probe the mysteries of the animal mind even further, identifying an advanced level of animal behavior—emergents—that reflects animals’ natural and active inclination to make sense of the world. Rumbaugh and Washburn unify all behavior into a framework they call Rational Behaviorism and present it as a new way to understand learning, intelligence, and rational behavior in both animals and humans. Drawing on years of research on issues of complex learning and intelligence in primates (notably rhesus monkeys, chimpanzees, and bonobos), Rumbaugh and Washburn provide delightful examples of animal ingenuity and persistence, showing that animals are capable of very creative solutions to novel challenges. The authors analyze learning processes and research methods, discuss the meaningful differences across the primate order, and point the way to further advances, enlivening theoretical material about primates with stories about their behavior and achievements.

 

Human Remains in Archaeology: a Handbook (CBA Practical Handbook)

Human Remains in Archaeology: a Handbook (CBA Practical Handbook)

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With reburial and repatriation very much a current focus of debate, this new handbook presents a hugely useful and stimulating overview of just how much we can learn from the study of human remains. The book kicks off with a balanced summary of the legal framework and ethical concerns regarding the excavation and display of human remains, which emphasises public interest in skeletal remains, as well as the need for their respectful treatment. Sections follow on the context of skeletal remains and their excavation - past funerary beliefs and traditions, and best practice in excavating recording and conserving remains. The bulk of the book however is given over to analysis - the techniques for identifying age and sex, dating, the examination of health diet and disease, and the compilation of data to analyse past populations and create demographic surveys. A concluding section on the future of bioarchaeology calls for greater dialogue with archaeologists on reburial issues, but remains overwhelmingly upbeat - [Bioarchaeology] has emerged phoenix-like from the ashes over the last twenty years and looks set to become a major part of both academic and contract archaeology.

 

The Evolutionary Biology of the Human Pelvis: An Integrative Approach (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary An...

The Evolutionary Biology of the Human Pelvis: An Integrative Approach (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary An...

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This book provides a synthetic overview of all evidence concerning the evolution of the morphology of the human pelvis, including comparative anatomy, clinical and experimental studies, and quantitative evolutionary models. By integrating these lines of research, this is the first book to bring all sources of evidence together to develop a coherent statement about the current state of the art in understanding pelvic evolution. Second, and related to this, the volume is the first detailed assessment of existing paradigms about the evolution of the pelvis, especially the obstetric dilemma. The authors argue that there are many 'dilemmas', but these must be approached using a testable methodology, rather than on the proviso of a single paradigm. The volume clearly contributes to greater scientific knowledge about human variation and evolution, and has implications for clinicians working within reproductive health. A thought-provoking read for students, researchers and professionals in the fields of biological anthropology, human evolutionary anthropology, paleoanthropology, bioarchaeology, biology, developmental biology and obstetrics.

 

Why We Talk: The Evolutionary Origins of Language (Oxford Studies in the Evolution of Language, 5)

Why We Talk: The Evolutionary Origins of Language (Oxford Studies in the Evolution of Language, 5)

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Constant exchange of information is integral to our societies. Jean-Louis Dessalles explores how this came into being. He develops a view of language as an instrument for conversation rather than mental representation and thought. Presenting language evolution as a natural history ofconversation, the author sheds light on the emergence of communication in the hominine congregations, as well as on the human nature.

 

The Archaeology of Animal Bones (Texas A&M University Anthropology Series)

The Archaeology of Animal Bones (Texas A&M University Anthropology Series)

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Animal ecologists can observe the present and reconstruct the last one or two centuries from historical sources, but the study of animal bones adds valuable insight into the peoples and landscapes of the past while telling much about the evolution of human-animal relationships. In this standard work, now available in paperback, O’Connor offers a detailed overview of the study of animal bones. He analyzes bone composition and structure and the archaeological evidence left by the processes of life, death, and decomposition. He goes on to look at how bone is excavated, examined, described, identified, measured, and reassembled into skeletons. The bulk of the book is devoted to the interpretation of bone fragments, which tell much about the animals themselves—their health, growth, diet, injuries, and age at death.

 

Everyone Is African: How Science Explodes the Myth of Race

Everyone Is African: How Science Explodes the Myth of Race

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What does science say about race? In this book a distinguished research geneticist presents abundant evidence showing that traditional notions about distinct racial differences have little scientific foundation. In short, racism is not just morally wrong it has no basis in fact.The author lucidly describes in detail the factors that have led to the current scientific consensus about race. Both geneticists and anthropologists now generally agree that the human species originated in sub-Saharan Africa and darkly pigmented skin was the ancestral state of humanity. Moreover, worldwide human diversity is so complex that discrete races cannot be genetically defined. And for individuals, ancestry is more scientifically meaningful than race.Separate chapters are devoted to controversial topics: skin color and the scientific reasons for the differences why ancestry is more important to individual health than race intelligence and human diversity and evolutionary perspectives on the persistence of racism.This is an enlightening book that goes a long way toward dispelling the irrational notions at the heart of racism.