Download or read book The Nariokotome Homo Erectus Skeleton written by Alan Walker and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1993 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The discovery of the Nariokotome Homo erectus skeleton, a milestone in the history of paleoanthropology, is fully documented in this book. Beautifully illustrated, it takes us into the field and the laboratory, and into the far reaches of prehistory, to show us what the fossilized remains of a young boy can tell us about our beginnings.

Download or read book Spinal Evolution written by Ella Been and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-08-07 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The vertebral spine is a key element of the human anatomy. Its main role is to protect the spinal cord and the main blood vessels. The axial skeleton, with its muscles and joints, provides stability for the attachment of the head, tail and limbs and, at the same time, enables the mobility required for breathing and for locomotion. Despite its great importance, the vertebral spine is often over looked by researchers because: a) vertebrae are fragile in nature, which makes their fossilization a rare event; b) they are metameric (seriated and repeated elements) that make their anatomical determination and, thus, their subsequent study difficult; and c) the plethora of bones and joints involved in every movement or function of the axial skeleton makes the reconstruction of posture, breathing mechanics and locomotion extremely difficult. It is well established that the spine has changed dramatically during human evolution. Spinal curvatures, spinal load transmission, and thoracic shape of bipedal humans are derived among hominoids. Yet, there are many debates as to how and when these changes occurred and to their phylogenetic, functional, and pathological implications. In recent years, renewed interest arose in the axial skeleton. New and exciting finds, mostly from Europe and Africa, as well as new methods for reconstructing the spine, have been introduced to the research community. New methodologies such as Finite Element Analysis, trabecular bone analysis, Geometric Morphometric analysis, and gait analysis have been applied to the spines of primates and humans. These provide a new and refreshing look into the evolution of the spine. Advanced biomechanical research regarding posture, range of motion, stability, and attenuation of the human spine has interesting evolutionary implications. Until now, no book that summarizes the updated research and knowledge regarding spinal evolution in hominoids has been available. The present book explores both these new methodologies and new data, including recent fossil, morphological, biomechanical, and theoretical advances regarding vertebral column evolution. In order to cover all of that data, we divide the book into four parts: 1) the spine of hominoids; 2) the vertebral spine of extinct hominins; 3) ontogeny, biomechanics and pathology of the human spine; and 4) new methodologies of spinal research. These parts complement each other and provide a wide and comprehensive examination of spinal evolution.

Download or read book The First Humans written by Frederick E. Grine and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-05-24 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are some issues in human paleontology that seem to be timeless. Most deal with the origin and early evolution of our own genus – something about which we should care. Some of these issues pertain to taxonomy and systematics. How many species of Homo were there in the Pliocene and Pleistocene? How do we identify the earliest members the genus Homo? If there is more than one Plio-Pleistocene species, how do they relate to one another, and where and when did they evolve? Other issues relate to questions about body size, proportions and the functional adaptations of the locomotor skeleton. When did the human postcranial “Bauplan” evolve, and for what reasons? What behaviors (and what behavioral limitations) can be inferred from the postcranial bones that have been attributed to Homo habilis and Homo erectus? Still other issues relate to growth, development and life history strategies, and the biological and archeological evidence for diet and behavior in early Homo. It is often argued that dietary change played an important role in the origin and early evolution of our genus, with stone tools opening up scavenging and hunting opportunities that would have added meat protein to the diet of Homo. Still other issues relate to the environmental and climatic context in which this genus evolved.

Download or read book Patterns of Human Growth written by Barry Bogin and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1999-05-06 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revised edition of an established text on human growth and development from an anthropological and evolutionary perspective.

Download or read book Surgery of the Spine and Spinal Cord written by Erik van de Kelft and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-07-04 with total page 746 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers essential guidance on selecting the most appropriate surgical management option for a variety of spinal conditions, including idiopathic problems, and degenerative disease. While the first part of the book discusses the neuroanatomy and biomechanics of the spine, pain mechanisms, and imaging techniques, the second guides the reader through the diagnostic process and treatment selection for disorders of the different regions of the spine, based on the principles of evidence-based medicine. I.e., it clearly explains why a particular technique should be selected for a specific patient on the basis of the available evidence, which is carefully reviewed. The book identifies potential complications and highlights technical pearls, describing newer surgical techniques and illustrating them with the help of images and accompanying videos. Though primarily intended for neurosurgeons, the book will also be of interest to orthopaedic surgeons, specialists in physical medicine, and pain specialists. ​

Download or read book The History of Our Tribe written by Barbara Welker and published by Open SUNY Textbooks. This book was released on 2017-01-31 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where did we come from? What were our ancestors like? Why do we differ from other animals? How do scientists trace and construct our evolutionary history? The Evolution of Our Tribe: Hominini provides answers to these questions and more. The book explores the field of paleoanthropology past and present. Beginning over 65 million years ago, Welker traces the evolution of our species, the environments and selective forces that shaped our ancestors, their physical and cultural adaptations, and the people and places involved with their discovery and study. It is designed as a textbook for a course on Human Evolution but can also serve as an introductory text for relevant sections of courses in Biological or General Anthropology or general interest. It is both a comprehensive technical reference for relevant terms, theories, methods, and species and an overview of the people, places, and discoveries that have imbued paleoanthropology with such fascination, romance, and mystery.

Download or read book Human Paleontology and Prehistory written by Assaf Marom and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-01-24 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of the book is to present original and though-provoking essays in human paleontology and prehistory, which are at the forefront of human evolutionary research, in honor of Professor Yoel Rak (a leading scholar in paleoanthropology).​ ​The volume presents a collection of original papers contributed by many of Yoel's friends and colleagues from all over the globe. Contributions from experts around the globe fall roughly into three broad categories: Reflections on some of the broad theoretical questions of evolution, and especially about human evolution; the early hominins, with special emphasis on Australopithecus afarensis and Paranthropus; and the Neanderthals, that contentious group of our closest extinct relatives. Within and across these categories, nearly every paper addresses combinations of methodological, analytical and theoretical questions that are pertinent to the whole human evolutionary time span. This book will appeal most to scholars and advanced students in paleoanthropology, human paleontology and prehistoric archaeology.

Download or read book Organization of the Spinal Cord written by and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 1964-01-01 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume includes contributions from almost all of the leading neuroanatomists who have in recent years devoted their attention to the spinal cord.

Download or read book Morphological Integration written by Everett C. Olson and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1999-10 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite recent advances in genetics, development, anatomy, systematics, and morphometrics, the synthesis of ideas and research agenda put forth in the classic Morphological Integration remains remarkably fresh, timely, and relevant. Pioneers in reexamining morphology, Everett Olson and Robert Miller were among the first to explore the concept of the integrated organism in both living and extinct populations. In a new foreword and afterword, biologists Barry Chernoff and Paul Magwene summarize the landmark achievements made by Olson and Miller and bring matters discussed in the book up to date, suggest new methods, and accentuate the importance of continued research in morphological integration. Everett C. Olson was a professor at the University of Chicago and at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was a former president of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Robert L. Miller was associate professor of geology at the University of Chicago, associate scientist in marine geology at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and a member of the board of editors of the Journal of Geology.

Download or read book The Postcranial Anatomy of Australopithecus afarensis written by Yohannes Haile-Selassie and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-12-22 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume describes a 3.6 million-years-old partial skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis from the Woranso-Mille, central Afar, Ethiopia. This specimen is the first adult partial skeleton to be recovered since Lucy’s (A.L. 288-1) discovery in 1974. It is older than Lucy by 400,000 years and sheds light on the paleobiology of early Australopithecus afarensis, particularly the morphology of the shoulder girdle and thoracic shape, which are thus far poorly understood and actively debated. The fauna associated with the partial skeleton tells us enormously about Au. afarensis paleoecology and give us another piece of the puzzle regarding habitat availability and use for Au. afarensis outside the Hadar region where it has been well-known for the last four decades.

Download or read book Living Fossils written by N. Eldredge and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 445 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The case history approach has an impressive record of success in a variety of disciplines. Collections of case histories, casebooks, are now widely used in all sorts of specialties other than in their familiar appli cation to law and medicine. The case method had its formal beginning at Harvard in 1871 when Christopher Lagdell developed it as a means of teaching. It was so successful in teaching law that it was soon adopted in medical education, and the collection of cases provided the raw material for research on various diseases. Subsequently, the case history approach spread to such varied fields as business, psychology, management, and economics, and there are over 100 books in print that use this approach. The idea for a series of Casehooks in Earth Science grew from my experience in organizing and editing a collection of examples of one variety of sedimentary deposits. The prqject began as an effort to bring some order to a large number of descriptions of these deposits that were so varied in presentation and terminology that even specialists found them difficult to compare and analyze. Thus, from the beginning, it was evident that something more than a simple collection of papers was needed. Accordingly, the nearly fifty contributors worked together with George de Vries Klein and me to establish a standard format for presenting the case histories.

Download or read book An Introduction to Human Evolutionary Anatomy written by Leslie Aiello and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 1990-09-11 with total page 609 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An anthropologist and an anatomist have combined their skills in this book to provide students and research workers with the essentials of anatomy and the means to apply these to investigations into hominid form and function. Using basic principles and relevant bones, conclusions can be reached regarding the probable musculature, stance, brain size, age, weight, and sex of a particular fossil specimen. The sort of deductions which are possible are illustrated by reference back to contemporary apes and humans, and a coherent picture of the history of hominid evolution appears. Written in a clear and concise style and beautifully illustrated, An Introduction to Human Evolutionary Anatomy is a basic reference for all concerned with human evolution as well as a valuable companion to both laboratory practical sessions and new research using fossil skeletons.

Download or read book The Origins of Modern Humans written by Fred H. Smith and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-07-09 with total page 585 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This update to the award-winning The Origins of Modern Humans: A World Survey of the Fossil Evidence covers the most accepted common theories concerning the emergence of modern Homo sapiens adding fresh insight from top young scholars on the key new discoveries of the past 25 years. The Origins of Modern Humans: Biology Reconsidered allows field leaders to discuss and assess the assemblage of hominid fossil material in each region of the world during the Pleistocene epoch. It features new fossil and molecular evidence, such as the evolutionary inferences drawn from assessments of modern humans and large segments of the Neandertal genome. It also addresses the impact of digital imagery and the more sophisticated morphometrics that have entered the analytical fray since 1984. Beginning with a thoughtful introduction by the authors on modern human origins, the book offers such insightful chapter contributions as: Africa: The Cradle of Modern People Crossroads of the Old World: Late Hominin Evolution in Western Asia A River Runs through It: Modern Human Origins in East Asia Perspectives on the Origins of Modern Australians Modern Human Origins in Central Europe The Makers of the Early Upper Paleolithic in Western Eurasia Neandertal Craniofacial Growth and Development and Its Relevance for Modern Human Origins Energetics and the Origin of Modern Humans Understanding Human Cranial Variation in Light of Modern Human Origins The Relevance of Archaic Genomes to Modern Human Origins The Process of Modern Human Origins: The Evolutionary and Demographic Changes Giving Rise to Modern Humans The Paleobiology of Modern Human Emergence Elegant and thought provoking, The Origins of Modern Humans: Biology Reconsidered is an ideal read for students, grad students, and professionals in human evolution and paleoanthropology.

Download or read book The Emergence of Culture written by Philip Chase and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-09-27 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the emergent nature of human culture, based on the human ability to create and pass on social codes through instruction and example. It proposes hypotheses to explain how a phenomenon that is potentially maladaptive for individuals could have evolved, and to explain why culture plays such a pervasive role in human life. It then reviews the primatological, fossil, and archaeological data to test these hypotheses.

Download or read book Function Phylogeny and Fossils written by David R. Begun and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-21 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An insightful new work, Function, Phylogeny, and Fossils integrates two practices in paleobiology which are often separated - functional and phylogenetic analysis. The book summarizes the evidence on paleoenvironments at the most important Miocene hominoid sites and relates it to the pertinent fossil record. The contributors present the most up-to-date statements on the functional anatomy and likely behavior of the best known hominoids of this crucial period of ape and human evolution. A key feature is a comprehensive table listing 240 characteristics among 13 genera of living and extinct hominoids.

Download or read book Human Hand Function written by Lynette A. Jones and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006-04-20 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Surveying normal hand function in health individuals, this book presents a conceptual framework for analysing what is known about it. It organises human-hand research on a continuum that ranges from activities that are sensory to those with a strong motor component. It is useful for researchers in neuroscience, cognitive science, and gerontology.

Download or read book Clinical Anatomy of the Lumbar Spine and Sacrum written by Nikolai Bogduk and published by Elsevier Health Sciences. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bogduk aims to provide a foundation of knowledge upon which an understanding of the various treatment and therapy techniques of the different specialities involved can be built. This edition includes discussion of the sacrum and sacro-iliac joint.