Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Wood
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Biology ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
New Taxa ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Short Introduction ◽  
Human Dna ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fossil Records

Human Evolution: A Very Short Introduction traces the history of palaeoanthropology from its beginnings in the 18th century to the very latest fossil finds. In this new edition it discusses how ancient DNA studies have revolutionized how we view the recent (post-550,000 years ago) human evolution, and the process of speciation. The combination of ancient and modern human DNA has contributed to discoveries of new taxa, as well as the suggestion of ‘ghost’ taxa whose fossil records still remain to be discovered. Considering the contributions of related sciences such as palaeoclimatology, geochronology, systematics, genetics, and developmental biology, this VSI explores our latest understandings of our own evolution.

The History of Physics: A Very Short Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Heilbron
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Revolution ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Ancient Greece ◽  
History Of Physics ◽  
Short Introduction ◽  
History Of ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Century Science ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Medieval Scholar

How does today’s physics—highly professionalized; inextricably linked to government and industry—link back to its origins as a liberal art in ancient Greece? The History of Physics: A Very Short Introduction tells the 2,500-year story, exploring the changing place and purpose of physics in different cultures; highlighting the implications for humankind’s self-understanding. It introduces Islamic astronomers and mathematicians calculating the Earth’s size; medieval scholar-theologians investigating light; Galileo, Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton, measuring, and trying to explain, the universe. It visits: the House of Wisdom in 9th-century Baghdad; Europe’s first universities; the courts of the Renaissance; the Scientific Revolution and 18th-century academies; and the increasingly specialized world of 20th‒21st-century science.

scholarly journals A Brief Overview of the Last 10 Years of Major Late Pleistocene Discoveries in the Old World: Homo floresiensis, Neanderthal, and Denisovan

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Fernanda Neubauer
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Separate Species ◽  
Skeletal Morphology ◽  
Old World ◽  
Human Dna

In the last ten years, new fossil, archaeological, and genetic data have significantly altered our understanding of the peopling of the Old World in the Late Pleistocene. Scholars have long been challenged to define humanity’s place in evolution and to trace our phylogeny. Differences in the skeletal morphology of hominin fossils have often led to the naming of distinct new species, but recent genetic findings have challenged the traditional perspective by demonstrating that modern human DNA contains genes inherited from Neanderthals and Denisovans, thus questioning their status as separate species. The recent discovery of Homo floresiensis from Flores Island has also raised interesting queries about how much genetic and morphological diversity was present during the Late Pleistocene. This paper discusses the nature and implications of the evidence with respect to Homo floresiensis, Neanderthals, and Denisovans and briefly reviews major Late Pleistocene discoveries from the last ten years of research in the Old World and their significance to the study of human evolution.

Alternative models of Pleistocene biocultural evolution: a response to Foley

Antiquity ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 63 (238) ◽  
pp. 153-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Human Origins ◽  
Single Source ◽  
Recent Discussion ◽  
Garden Of Eden ◽  
Biocultural Evolution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Origins Research

Human origins research has had a long history of vigorous debate. Recent discussion has been no exception, the more so perhaps as the strands of evidence — anthropological, archaeological, and now molecular-biological — are sufficiently diverse that not many can be well placed to deal fairly with them all. Here issue is taken with Foley's cladistic view of human evolution, and with the ‘Garden of Eden’ hypothesis of a single source in Africa for modern human populations.

scholarly journals Something old, something borrowed: Admixture and adaptation in human evolution

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Dannemann ◽  
Fernando Racimo
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Gene Pool ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Functional Assays ◽  
Over Time

Almost a decade ago, the sequencing of ancient DNA from archaic humans - Neanderthals and Denisovans - revealed that modern and archaic humans interbred at least twice during the Pleistocene. The field of human paleogenomics has now turned its attention towards understanding the nature of this genetic legacy in the gene pool of present-day humans. What exactly did modern humans obtain from interbreeding with Neanderthals and Denisovans? Were introgressed genetic material beneficial, neutral or maladaptive? Can differences in phenotypes among present-day human populations be explained by archaic human introgression? These questions are of prime importance for our understanding of recent human evolution, but will require careful computational modeling and extensive functional assays before they can be answered in full. Here, we review the recent literature characterizing introgressed DNA and the likely biological consequences for their modern human carriers. We focus particularly on archaic human haplotypes that were beneficial to modern humans as they expanded across the globe, and on ways to understand how populations harboring these haplotypes evolved over time.

scholarly journals Something old, something borrowed: Admixture and adaptation in human evolution

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Dannemann ◽  
Fernando Racimo
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Gene Pool ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Functional Assays ◽  
Over Time

Almost a decade ago, the sequencing of ancient DNA from archaic humans - Neanderthals and Denisovans - revealed that modern and archaic humans interbred at least twice during the Pleistocene. The field of human paleogenomics has now turned its attention towards understanding the nature of this genetic legacy in the gene pool of present-day humans. What exactly did modern humans obtain from interbreeding with Neanderthals and Denisovans? Were introgressed genetic material beneficial, neutral or maladaptive? Can differences in phenotypes among present-day human populations be explained by archaic human introgression? These questions are of prime importance for our understanding of recent human evolution, but will require careful computational modeling and extensive functional assays before they can be answered in full. Here, we review the recent literature characterizing introgressed DNA and the likely biological consequences for their modern human carriers. We focus particularly on archaic human haplotypes that were beneficial to modern humans as they expanded across the globe, and on ways to understand how populations harboring these haplotypes evolved over time.

Reading: A Very Short Introduction

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Jack
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Ancient World ◽  
Human History ◽  
Digital Reading ◽  
Short Introduction ◽  
Paper Making ◽  
Late 18Th Century ◽  
History Of ◽  
Printing Paper

Reading: A Very Short Introduction explores the fascinating history of literacy and the opportunities reading opens. For much of human history reading was the preserve of the elite, and most reading meant being read to. Innovations in printing, paper-making, and transport, combined with increased public education, brought a boom in worldwide literacy from the late 18th century. Established links between a nation’s levels of literacy and its economy led to the promotion of reading for political ends. Reading has also been associated with subversive ideas, leading to censorship. Telling the story of reading, its ambiguities and complexities, from the ancient world to digital reading and restrictions today, this VSI explores why it is such an important aspect of our society.

Methodism: A Very Short Introduction

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Abraham
Keyword(s):  
18Th Century ◽  
John Wesley ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Christian Church ◽  
Short Introduction ◽  
Global Impact ◽  
The Future ◽  
History Of

Methodism: A Very Short Introduction traces Methodism from its origins in the work of John Wesley and the hymns of his brother, Charles Wesley, in the 18th century, right up to the present, where it is one of the most vibrant forms of Christianity. Considering the identity, nature, and history of Methodism, it provides a fresh account of the place of Methodism in the life and thought of the Christian Church. Describing the message of Methodism, and who the Methodists are, it also considers the practices of Methodism and discusses its global impact and its decline in the homelands. Finally, looking forward, this VSI considers the future prospects for Methodism.

scholarly journals UMA BREVE VISÃO GERAL DOS ÚLTIMOS 10 ANOS DAS PRINCIPAIS DESCOBERTAS DO PLEISTOCENO SUPERIOR NO VELHO MUNDO: HOMO FLORESIENSIS, NEANDERTAL, DENISOVAN

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (32) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Fernanda Neubauer
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Separate Species ◽  
Skeletal Morphology ◽  
Old World ◽  
Human Dna

Nos últimos dez anos, novos dados fósseis, arqueológicos e genéticos alteraram significativamente nossa compreensão sobre o povoamento do Velho Mundo no Pleistoceno Superior. Os pesquisadores há muito têm sido desafiados a definir o lugar da humanidade na evolução e a rastrear nossa filogenia. Diferenças na morfologia esquelética de fósseis de hominídeos muitas vezes levaram à nomeação de novas espécies distintas, mas descobertas genéticas recentes desafiaram a perspectiva tradicional, demonstrando que o DNA humano moderno contém genes herdados dos Neandertais e Denisovans, questionando assim seu status como uma espécie separada. A recente descoberta do Homo floresiensis da Ilha de Flores também levantou questões interessantes sobre a quantidade de diversidade genética e morfológica que estava presente durante o Pleistoceno Superior. Este artigo discute a natureza e as implicações da evidência em relação ao Homo floresiensis, Neandertais e Denisovans, e analisa brevemente as principais descobertas do Pleistoceno Superior nos últimos dez anos de pesquisa no Velho Mundo e sua importância para o estudo da evolução humana.Abstract: In the last ten years, new fossil, archaeological, and genetic data have significantly altered our understanding of the peopling of the Old World in the Late Pleistocene. Scholars have long been challenged to define humanity’s place in evolution and to trace our phylogeny. Differences in the skeletal morphology of hominin fossils have often led to the naming of distinct new species, but recent genetic findings have challenged the traditional perspective by demonstrating that modern human DNA contains genes inherited from Neandertals and Denisovans, thus questioning their status as separate species. The recent discovery of Homo floresiensis from Flores Island has also raised interesting queries about how much genetic and morphological diversity was present during the Late Pleistocene. This article discusses the nature and implications of the evidence with respect to Homo floresiensis. Neandertals and Denisovans, and briefly reviews major Late Pleistocene discoveries from the last ten years of research in the Old World and their significance to the study of human evolution.

Homo canis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Pierotti ◽  
Brandy R. Fogg
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Biological Species ◽  
Shared Experience ◽  
Nuclear Families ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of

This chapter examines what it means to be human, a member of the biological species Homo sapiens. Comparing humans to a wide range of primates, it shows that no other species has a similar social structure, with social groups of varying sizes built around nuclear families. Moreover, it explores how these traits may have been shaped by humans' shared experience with Canis lupus. Humans are indeed unique, but their adaptations emerge from a set of unusual events, and a considerable amount of the history of modern human evolution seems to be influenced by their association with wolves and their dog descendants. The chapter then demonstrates how modern attitudes toward predators result from religious traditions rather than scientific understanding.

scholarly journals Something old, something borrowed: Admixture and adaptation in human evolution

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Dannemann ◽  
Fernando Racimo
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Gene Pool ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Modern Human ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
Functional Assays ◽  
Over Time

Almost a decade ago, the sequencing of ancient DNA from archaic humans - Neanderthals and Denisovans - revealed that modern and archaic humans interbred at least twice during the Pleistocene. The field of human paleogenomics has now turned its attention towards understanding the nature of this genetic legacy in the gene pool of present-day humans. What exactly did modern humans obtain from interbreeding with Neanderthals and Denisovans? Were introgressed genetic material beneficial, neutral or maladaptive? Can differences in phenotypes among present-day human populations be explained by archaic human introgression? These questions are of prime importance for our understanding of recent human evolution, but will require careful computational modeling and extensive functional assays before they can be answered in full. Here, we review the recent literature characterizing introgressed DNA and the likely biological consequences for their modern human carriers. We focus particularly on archaic human haplotypes that were beneficial to modern humans as they expanded across the globe, and on ways to understand how populations harboring these haplotypes evolved over time.

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