Evolutionary Medicine and Health: New Perspectives

Evolutionary Medicine and Health: New Perspectives

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Building on the success of their groundbreaking anthology Evolutionary Medicine (OUP, 1999), Wenda R. Trevathan, E. O. Smith, and James J. McKenna provide an up-to-date and thought-provoking introduction to the field with this new collection of essays. Ideal for courses in evolutionary medicine, medical anthropology, and the evolution of human disease, Evolutionary Medicine and Health: New Perspectives presents twenty-three original articles that examine how human evolution relates to a broad range of contemporary health problems including infectious, chronic, nutritional, and mental diseases and disorders. Topics covered include disease susceptibility in cultural context, substance abuse and addiction, sleep disorders, preeclampsia, altitude-related hypoxia, the biological context of menstruation, and the role of stress in modern life. An international team of preeminent scholars in biological anthropology, medicine, biology, psychology, and geography contributed the selections. Together they represent a uniquely integrative and multidisciplinary approach that takes into account the dialogue between biology and culture as it relates to understanding, treating, and preventing disease. A common theme throughout is the description of cases in which biological human development conflicts with culturally based individual behaviors that determine health outcomes. Detailed, evidence-based arguments make the case that all aspects of the human condition covered in the volume have an evolutionary basis, while theoretical discussions using other empirical evidence critique the gaps that still remain in evolutionary approaches to health. Evolutionary Medicine and Health: New Perspectives features an introductory overview that covers the field's diverse array of topics, questions, lines of evidence, and perspectives. In addition, the editors provide introductions to each essay and an extensive bibliography that represents a state-of-the-art survey of the literature. A companionwebsite at www.oup.com/us/evolmed offers a full bibliography and links to source articles, reports, and databases. Written in an engaging style that is accessible to students, professionals, and general readers, this book offers a unique look at how an evolutionary perspective has become increasingly relevant to the health field and medical practice.

 

The Human Strategy: An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Anatomy

The Human Strategy: An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Anatomy

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The Human Strategy brings a unique and accessible evolutionary approach to the study of human anatomy. Bridging the disciplines of anthropology and biology, it acknowledges that human beings are vertebrates, mammals, and primates, and that the anatomical systems of the human body reflectadaptations from each of these levels of classification. John H. Langdon identifies the significance of those traits that make humans distinct from other vertebrates, exploring adaptations to the musculoskeletal, nervous, and reproductive systems and to systems of homeostasis. He addresses thequestion: What functions are represented in the body structure and what history lies behind them? Framing the answers in terms of physiological goals, functional adaptation, and evolutionary contingency, he covers both soft- and hard-tissue systems. Langdon considers how behavioral changes in ourancestors--bipedalism and a changing diet that incorporated meat--relate to anatomical changes in nearly every organ system and contributed to expansion of the brain, a higher energy budget, and a prolongation of life history. Integrating the most recent research in the field, The Human Strategy features more than 250 clear and well-labeled illustrations that explain anatomical systems and processes. It includes tables that detail the differences between the major classes of vertebrates, helping students to putevolutionary variations among species in context. A comprehensive glossary and an extensive bibliography are also provided. Ideal for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in human evolutionary anatomy, The Human Strategy can also be used in human anatomy and human evolution courses. Takinga more complete look at the human body in an evolutionary sense than any other existing text--and demonstrating that the human present is best understood in terms of our past--this volume serves as an excellent starting point for discussion, critical thinking, and further research.

 

Readings for a History of Anthropological Theory, Sixth Edition

Readings for a History of Anthropological Theory, Sixth Edition

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Readings for a History of Anthropological Theory curates and collects many of the most important publications of anthropological thinking spanning the last hundred years, building a strong foundation in both classical and contemporary theory. The sixth edition includes seventeen new readings, with a sharpened focus on public anthropology, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, linguistic anthropology, archaeology, and the Anthropocene. Each piece of writing is accompanied by a short introduction, key terms, study questions, and further readings that elucidate the original text.On its own, or together with A History of Anthropological Theory, Sixth Edition, this anthology offers an unrivalled introduction to the theory of anthropology that reflects not only its history but also the changing nature of the discipline today.

 

Through the Lens of Anthropology: An Introduction to Human Evolution and Culture

Through the Lens of Anthropology: An Introduction to Human Evolution and Culture

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Through the Lens of Anthropology is a concise but comprehensive introductory textbook that uses the twin themes of food and sustainability to illustrate the connected nature of anthropology's four major subfields: archaeology, and biological, cultural, and linguistic anthropology. By viewing the world through the lens of anthropology, students will learn not only about anthropological methods, theories, and ethics, but also the ways in which anthropology is relevant to their everyday lives and embedded in the culture that surrounds them.Beautifully illustrated throughout, with over 150 full-color images, figures, feature boxes, and maps, this is an anthropology text with a fresh perspective, a lively narrative, and plenty of popular topics that are sure to engage readers. A strong pedagogical framework structures the book: each chapter features learning objectives, glossary terms, and chapter summaries, as well as review and discussion questions which guide students' analysis of the topics, themes, and issues raised in the text. This book is interesting to read, manageable to teach, and succeeds at igniting interest in anthropology as a discipline.

 

Born in Africa: The Quest for the Origins of Human Life

Born in Africa: The Quest for the Origins of Human Life

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Africa does not give up its secrets easily. Buried there lie answers about the origins of humankind. After a century of investigation, scientists have transformed our understanding about the beginnings of human life. But vital clues still remain hidden.In Born in Africa, Martin Meredith follows the trail of discoveries about human origins made by scientists over the last hundred years, recounting their intense rivalry, personal feuds, and fierce controversies, as well as their feats of skill and endurance. The results have been momentous. Scientists have identified more than 20 species of extinct humans. They have firmly established Africa as the birthplace not only of humankind but also of modern humans. They have revealed how early technology, language ability, and artistic endeavour all originated in Africa and they have shown how small groups of Africans spread out from Africa in an exodus 60,000 years ago to populate the rest of the world. We have all inherited an African past.©2011 Martin Meredith (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

 

Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 17: Languages

Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 17: Languages

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Provides a basic reference work on the Native languages of North America, their characteristics and uses, their historical relationships, and the history of research on these languages. Fold-out, color, volume map.

 

Ancient Encounters: Kennewick Man and the First Americans

Ancient Encounters: Kennewick Man and the First Americans

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The skeleton known as Kennewick Man was discovered in 1996 by two young men along the Columbia River near Kennewick, Washington. When the skeleton was brought to Jim Chatters, a forensic anthropologist, Chatters first believed that the remains were those of a nineteenth-century pioneer. He was astonished when radiocarbon dating revealed the skeleton to be approximately 9,500 years old, making it one of the oldest skeletons ever found in North America. But what really intrigued Chatters was that despite his antiquity, Kennewick Man did not resemble modern Native Americans. So who was he, and where did he come from? Ancient Encounters is Chatters' compelling account of his quest to find the answers to these questions-a quest that ultimately was halted by political considerations. Chatters' investigation was cut short because local Indian groups claimed the skeleton under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and demanded the right to rebury the remains. The Army Corps of Engineers, which had jurisdiction over the land where Kennewick Man was found, seized the skeleton and put it into federal storage, where it remains to this day. The skeleton was not reburied, because a group of scientists whom Chatters contacted to help him in his investigation filed suit to prevent this. Their suit is scheduled to go to trial in 2001.But Ancient Encounters is much more than a story of political intrigue. This is an anthropological detective story, told by the first scientist to have studied Kennewick Man. In the short time that the skeleton was in Chatters' hands, he learned a great deal about the man's life. Numerous serious injuries-including a spearpoint embedded in his hip-indicate that Kennewick Man led a dangerous, perhaps even violent, life. His physical characteristics suggest a relationship to the people of Polynesia, perhaps a common ancestry. As Chatters consulted other experts and explored museum collections, he learned that many of Kennewick Man's physical features were shared by other ancient skeletons discovered in the Americas. The first Americans, or Paleo-Americans, as they are known to some in the scientific community, may have arrived in the Americas earlier and by a different route than has been generally agreed. Kennewick Man may hold significant clues to the ancestry of the people of the Americas, which is why, Chatters argues, his skeleton deserves further study.Fascinating and impassioned, Ancient Encounters is an important exploration of the origins of our earliest ancestors-and a critical examination of the controversy over who owns the past.