In Becoming Human, noted anthropologist and renaissance man Ian Tattersall explores what makes us uniquely human, the qualities that set us apart from our ancestors, and the significance of our knowledge. A worldwide tour of discovery, Tattersall takes the reader from 30,000-year-old cave paintings in France and anthropological digs in Africa, to examining human behavior in a New York restaurant. And by offering wisdom gleaned from fossil remains, primate behavior, prehistoric art, and archaeology, Tattersall presents a stunning picture of where humankind evolved, how Darwin's theories have...
In Becoming Human, noted anthropologist and renaissance man Ian Tattersall explores what makes us uniquely human, the qualities that set us apart from...
Nothing fascinates us more than explorations of human origins, and nobody tells the story better than Ian Tattersall. What makes us so different? How did we get this way? How do we know? And what exactly are we? These questions are what make human evolution a subject of general fascination. Ian Tattersall, one of those rare scientists who is also a graceful writer, addresses them in this delightful book. Writing in an informal essay style, Tattersall leads the reader around the world and into the far reaches of the past, showing what the science of human evolution is up...
Nothing fascinates us more than explorations of human origins, and nobody tells the story better than Ian Tattersall. What makes us so differe...
To be human is to be curious. And one of the things we are most curious about is how we came to be who we are--how we evolved over millions of years to become creatures capable of inquiring into our own evolution. In this lively and readable introduction, renowned anthropologist Ian Tattersall thoroughly examines both fossil and archaeological records to trace human evolution from the earliest beginnings of our zoological family, Hominidae, through the appearance of Homo sapiens to the Agricultural Revolution. He begins with an accessible overview of evolutionary theory and then...
To be human is to be curious. And one of the things we are most curious about is how we came to be who we are--how we evolved over millions of years t...
This text aims to provide a complete context for understanding the 65-million-year story of humankinds origins. It gathers the work of 49 internationally recognized scholars, each a leading authority writing under the guidance of a distinguished team of editors from the American Museum of Natural History. They have prepared over 800 entries, ranging from brief definitions of technical terms to in-depth, lengthy essays on broad topics such as evolutionary theory, genetics, and Palaeolithic archaeology. It should be useful to scholars scholars and readers in a variety of fields, including...
This text aims to provide a complete context for understanding the 65-million-year story of humankinds origins. It gathers the work of 49 internationa...
To be human is to be curious. And one of the things we are most curious about is how we came to be who we are--how we evolved over millions of years to become creatures capable of inquiring into our own evolution. In this lively and readable introduction, renowned anthropologist Ian Tattersall thoroughly examines both fossil and archaeological records to trace human evolution from the earliest beginnings of our zoological family, Hominidae, through the appearance of Homo sapiens to the Agricultural Revolution. He begins with an accessible overview of evolutionary theory and then...
To be human is to be curious. And one of the things we are most curious about is how we came to be who we are--how we evolved over millions of years t...
One of the traits that distinguishes us from our nearest relatives is our curiosity about the origins of our species. Here, Ian Tattersall discusses human uniqueness, investigating the origins of the characteristics and processes that so clearly distinguish human beings, such as creativity, language, and consciousness. Taking the reader around the world, stopping in France to examine 30,000-year-old cave paintings, in Africa to see where our earliest ancestors left their bones, and in remote forests to spy on our closest living relatives, the great apes, Tattersall uncovers what it is that...
One of the traits that distinguishes us from our nearest relatives is our curiosity about the origins of our species. Here, Ian Tattersall discusses h...
Extensively revised and updated, the second edition of The Fossil Trail: How We Know What We Think We Know About Human Evolution offers a colorful history of fossil discoveries and a revealing insider's look at how these finds have been interpreted--and misinterpreted--through time. It covers the dramatic increase in the size and scope of the human fossil record as well as new techniques for analyzing and interpreting that record that have emerged in the thirteen intervening years since the first edition's publication. Author Ian Tattersall, Curator in the Division of Anthropology of...
Extensively revised and updated, the second edition of The Fossil Trail: How We Know What We Think We Know About Human Evolution offers a col...
Some of the most controversial questions in evolutionary history are taken up in this collection of essays. Ian Tattersall stresses that living creatures, including humans, are not finely engineered organisms with every component perfectly adapted to their function. We are - on the contrary - jury-rigged, improvised beings, owing as much to chance as to adaptation. And this is true of all living creatures.
Some of the most controversial questions in evolutionary history are taken up in this collection of essays. Ian Tattersall stresses that living creatu...
"Endlessly absorbing and informative. It would be hard to imagine a better introduction to this most important and fascinating field. Bill Bryson, author of A Short History of Nearly Everything
Paleontology: A Brief History of Life is the fifth title published in the Templeton Science and Religion Series, in which scientists from a wide range of fields distill their experience and knowledge into brief tours of their respective specialties.In this volume, Ian Tattersall, a highly esteemed figure in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, and paleontology, leads a...
"Endlessly absorbing and informative. It would be hard to imagine a better introduction to this most important and fascinating field. Bill Bryson, ...
