Synopses & Reviews
In 1974 in a remote region of Ethiopia, Donald Johanson, then one of America's most promising young paleoanthropologists, discovered "Lucy", the oldest, best preserved skeleton of any erect-walking human ever found. This discovery prompted a complete reevaluation of previous evidence for human origins.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In the years since this dramatic discovery Johanson has continued to scour East Africa's Great rift Valley for the earliest evidence of human origins. In 1975 this team unearthed the "First Family", an unparalleled fossil assemblage of 13 individuals dating back to 3.2 million years ago; and in 1986 at the Rift's most famous location, Olduvai Gorge, this same team discovered a 1.8 million-year-old partial adult skeleton that necessitated a reassessment of the earliest members of our own genus andlt;Iandgt;Homo.andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Johanson's fieldwork continues unabated and recently more fossil members of Lucy's family have been found, including the 1992 discovery of the oldest, most complete skull of her species, with future research now planned for 1996 in the virtually unexplored regions of the most northern extension of the Rift Valley in Eritrea.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;From Lucy to Languageandlt;/Iandgt; is a summing up of this remarkable career and a stunning documentary of human life through time on Earth. It is a combination of the vital experience of field work and the intellectual rigor of primary research. It is the fusion of two great writing talents: Johanson and Blake Edgar, an accomplished science writer, editor of the California Academy of Sciences' andlt;Iandgt;Pacific Discovery,andlt;/Iandgt; and co-author of Johanson's last book, andlt;Iandgt;Ancestors.andlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;From Lucy to Languageandlt;/Iandgt; is one of the greatest stories ever told, bracketing the timeline between bipedalism and human language. Part I addresses the central issues facing anyone seeking to decipher the mystery of human origins. In this section the authors provide answers to the basics -- "What are our closest living relatives?" -- tackle the controversial -- "What is race?" -- and contemplate the imponderables -- "Why did consciousness evolve?"andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;From Lucy to Languageandlt;/Iandgt; is an encounter with the evidence. Early human fossils are hunted, discovered, identified, excavated, collected, preserved, labeled, cleaned, reconstructed, drawn, fondled, photographed, cast, compared, measured, revered, pondered, published, and argued over endlessly. Fossils like Lucy have become a talisman of sorts, promising to reveal the deepest secrets of our existence. In Part II the authors profile over fifty of the most significant early human fossils ever found. Each specimen is displayed in color and at actual size, most of them in multiple views. With them the authors present the cultural accoutrements associated with the fossils: stone tools which evidence increasing sophistication over time, the earliest stone, clay, and ivory art objects, and the culminating achievement of the dawn of human consciousness -- the magnificent rock and cave paintings of Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Americas.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;In the end andlt;Iandgt;From Lucy to Languageandlt;/Iandgt; is a reminder and a challenge. Like no species before us, we now seem poised to control vast parts of the planet and its life. We possess the power to influence, if not govern, evolution. For that reason, we must not forget our link to the natural world and our debt to natural selection. We need to "think deep", to add a dose of geologic time and evolutionary history to our perspective of who we are, where we came from, and where we are headed. This is the most poignant lesson this book has to offer.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Donald Johansonandlt;/Bandgt; has explored the Great Rift Valley of East Africa for more than two decades, seeking clues to our ultimate origins. One of the most lively and controversial scientists working today, he is the author of five previous books, the host of the three-part Nova series andlt;Iandgt;In Search of Human Origins,andlt;/Iandgt; and continues to lecture regularly. Known worldwide for his discovery of the Lucy skeleton, he is founder and president of the Institute of Human Origins in Berkeley, California, where he resides.
Table of Contents
andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;PART 1andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Central Issues of Paleoanthropologyandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;WHAT IS A HUMAN?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;1. The Human Creatureandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;2. The Quest for Originsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;3. Is Human Evolution Different?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;EVIDENCEandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;4. The Science of Paleoanthropologyandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;5. The Early Human Fossil Recordandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;6. Discovering Early Human Fossil Sitesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;7. Recovering the Remains of Early Humansandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;8. Dating Fossils and Artifactsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;9. Climate and Human Evolutionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;10. Teethandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;11. Proteins, DNA, and Human Evolutionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;12. Why is Paleoanthropology So Contentious?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;ANCESTORSandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;13. Our Closest Living Relativesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;14. The Last Common Ancestor of Apes and Humansandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;15. Drawing the Human Family Treeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;LINEAGESandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;16. African Genesisandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;17. Early vs. Modern Humansandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;18. Eve, and Adamandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;19. The Earliest Fossil Evidence of Anatomically Modern Humansandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;MIGRATIONandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;20. Out of Africaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;21. The First Americansandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;22. Peopling the Globeandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;DIVERSITYandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;23. Defining Human Speciesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;24. Co-Existing Human Speciesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;25. Human Diversity Todayandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;26. What Is Race?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;ANATOMYandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;27. The Size of Early Humansandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;28. Sexual Dimorphismandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;29. Gestationandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;30. Maturationandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;31. Evolution of the Human Brainandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;32. Reconstructing the Appearance of Early Humansandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;SOCIETYandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;32. Primate Societies and Early Human Social Behaviorandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;BIPEDALISMandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;34. Evidence for Bipedalismandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;35. The Origins of Bipedalismandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;TOOLSandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;36. The Oldest Stone Toolsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;CUSTOMSandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;37. Hunters, Gatherers, or Scavengers?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;38. Dietandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;39. Cannibalismandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;40. Fireandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;41. Shelterandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;42. Clothingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;CULTUREandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;43. Burialandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;44. Artandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;45. The Origins of Languageandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;IMPONDERABLESandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;46. The Problem of Consciousnessandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;47. Will Humans Become Extinct?andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;48. Place of Humans in Natureandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;PART 2andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Encountering the Evidenceandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Ardipithecus ramidus,andlt;/Iandgt; ARA-VP-6/129, Juvenile Partial mandibleandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;AUSTRALOPITHECINESandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus anamensis,andlt;/Iandgt; KNM-KP 29281, Adult mandibleandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus afarensisandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Australopithecus afarensis,andlt;/Iandgt; A.L. 288-1, Lucy, Partial adult skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus afarensis,andlt;/Iandgt; A.L. 333, Fragments of thirteen individualsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus afarensis,andlt;/Iandgt; A.L. 444-2, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus afarensis,andlt;/Iandgt; A.L. 129-1a+1b, Adult female knee jointandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus afarensis,andlt;/Iandgt; L.H. 4, Adult mandible / Fossil hominid footprintsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus africanusandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Australopithecus africanus,andlt;/Iandgt; Sts 5, Mrs. Ples, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus africanus,andlt;/Iandgt; Sts 14, Partial adult skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus africanus,andlt;/Iandgt; Sts 71 and Sts 36, Adult cranium and mandibleandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus africanus,andlt;/Iandgt; Taung Child, Juvenile skullandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus africanus,andlt;/Iandgt; TM 1517, Adult partial cranium and mandibleandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecusandlt;/Iandgt; sp., Stw 252, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus robustusandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Australopithecus robustus,andlt;/Iandgt; SK 6, Adolescent mandible / SK 48, Adult cranium / SK 48, Adult cranium / SK 79, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus aethiopicusandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Australopithecus aethiopicus,andlt;/Iandgt; KNM-WT 17000, Black Skull, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus boiseiandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Australopithecus boisei,andlt;/Iandgt; OH 5, Zinj, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Australopithecus boisei,andlt;/Iandgt; KNM-ER 406, Adult male cranium / KNM-ER 732, Adult female craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;HOMOandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Homoandlt;/Iandgt; sp., A.L. 666-1, Adult maxillaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo habilisandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Homo habilis,andlt;/Iandgt; OH 7, Juvenile male partial skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo habilis,andlt;/Iandgt; OH 24, Adult female craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo habilis,andlt;/Iandgt; KNM-ER 1813, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo habilis,andlt;/Iandgt; OH 62, Partial adult skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo rudolfensisandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Homo rudolfensis,andlt;/Iandgt; KNM-ER 1470, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo ergasterandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Homo ergaster,andlt;/Iandgt; KNM-ER 3733, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo ergaster,andlt;/Iandgt; KNM-WT 1500, Juvenile male skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo ergaster,andlt;/Iandgt; SK 847, Partial adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo erectusandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Homo erectus,andlt;/Iandgt; Trinil 2, Java Man, Adult partial craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo erectus,andlt;/Iandgt; Peking Man, Adult skull reconstructionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo erectus,andlt;/Iandgt; Sangiran 17, Adult male craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo heidelbergensisandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Homo heidelbergensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Bodo cranium, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo heidelbergensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Mauer 1, Adult mandibleandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo heidelbergensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Arago XXI, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo heidelbergensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Petralona 1, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo heidelbergensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Streinheim, Adult female craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo heidelbergensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Atapuerca 5, Adult skullandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo heidelbergensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Broken Hill 1, Adult craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo neanderthalensisandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Homo neanderthalensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Krapina C, Adult female partial craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo neanderthalensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Saccopastore I, Adult female craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo neanderthalensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Teshik-Tash, Juvenile partial skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo neanderthalensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Kebara 2, Adult male skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo neanderthalensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Amud 1, Adult male skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo neanderthalensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Amud 7, Partial infant skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo neanderthalensis,andlt;/Iandgt; La Chapelle-aux-Saints, Adult male skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo neanderthalensis,andlt;/Iandgt; La Ferrassie 1, Adult male skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo neanderthalensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Neandertal 1, Adult calotteandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo neanderthalensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Gibraltar 1, Adult female craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo neanderthalensis,andlt;/Iandgt; Saint-Candamp;#233;saire, Partial adult skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo sapiensandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Homo sapient,andlt;/Iandgt; Dali, Adult male craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo sapiens,andlt;/Iandgt; Omo I and Omo II, Partial adult skeleton and craniumandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo sapiens,andlt;/Iandgt; Qafzeh IX, Adult female skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo sapiens,andlt;/Iandgt; Skhul V, Adult male skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo sapiens,andlt;/Iandgt; Cro-Magnon I, Adult male skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Homo sapiens,andlt;/Iandgt; Kow Swamp 1, Adult male skeletonandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;PALEOLITHIC TECHNOLOGYandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Oldowan toolsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Acheulean toolsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Mousterian toolsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Upper Paleolithicandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;APPENDIX 1: TYPE SPECIMENS FOR HOMINID SPECIESandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;APPENDIX 2: HOMINID FOSSIL AND ARCHEOLOGICALandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;SELECTED REFERENCESandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;INDEX