Human Evolutionary Biology

A wide-ranging and inclusive text focusing on topics in human evolution and the understanding of modern human variation and adaptability.

Michael P. Muehlenbein (Edited by)

9780521705103, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 29 July 2010

634 pages, 98 b/w illus. 28 tables 200 exercises
27.4 x 21.8 x 3 cm, 1.73 kg

'The editor clearly intends that this will stand as the authoritative desk reference for advanced students and professionals in the field. It may achieve this status for several reasons. The list of contributing authors is a virtual who's who of the anthropologists interested in the biology of modern people. Each chapter has study questions that may engage students. There is no other such compendium.' Jeffrey C. Long, The Quarterly Review of Biology

Wide-ranging and inclusive, this text provides an invaluable review of an expansive selection of topics in human evolution, variation and adaptability for professionals and students in biological anthropology, evolutionary biology, medical sciences and psychology. The chapters are organized around four broad themes, with sections devoted to phenotypic and genetic variation within and between human populations, reproductive physiology and behavior, growth and development, and human health from evolutionary and ecological perspectives. An introductory section provides readers with the historical, theoretical and methodological foundations needed to understand the more complex ideas presented later. Two hundred discussion questions provide starting points for class debate and assignments to test student understanding.

Preface
Part I. Theory and Methods: 1. Evolutionary theory Douglas J. Futuyma
2. The study of human adaptation A. Roberto Frisancho
3. History of the study of human biology Michael A. Little
4. Genetics in human biology Robert J. Meier and Jennifer A. Raff
5. Demography James Holland Jones
6. History, methods, and general applications of anthropometry in human biology Noel Cameron and Laura L. Jones
7. Energy expenditure and body composition: history, methods and inter-relationships Peter S. W. Davies and Alexia J. Murphy
8. Evolutionary endocrinology Richard G. Bribiescas and Michael P. Muehlenbein
9. Ethical considerations for human biology research Trudy R. Turner
Commentary: a primer on human subjects applications and informed consents Michael P. Muehlenbein
Part II. Phenotypic and Genotypic Variation: 10. Body size and shape: climatic and nutritional influences on human body morphology William Leonard and Peter T. Katzmarzyk
11. Human adaptation to high altitude Tom D. Brutsaert
12. Skin coloration Nina G. Jablonski
13. Classic markers of human variation Robert J. Meier
14. DNA markers of human variation Michael E. Steiper
15. Ten facts about human variation Jonathan Marks
16. The evolution and endocrinology of human behavior: a focus on sex differences and reproduction Peter B. Gray
Part III. Reproduction: 17. Human mate choice David P. Schmitt
18. Mate choice, the major histocompatibility complex, and offspring viability Claus Wedekind and Guillaume Evanno
19. Why women differ in ovarian function: genetic polymorphism, developmental conditions and adult lifestyle Grazyna Jasienska
20. Pregnancy and lactation Ivy L. Pike and Lauren A. Milligan
21. Male reproduction: physiology, behavior and ecology Michael P. Muehlenbein and Richard G. Bribiescas
Part IV. Growth and Development: 22. Evolution of human growth Barry Bogin
23. Variation in human growth patterns due to environmental factors Stanley J. Ulijaszek
24. Evolutionary biology of hormonal responses to social challenges in the human child Mark V. Flinn
25. Human biology, energetics and the human brain Benjamin C. Campbell
26. Embodied capital and extra-somatic wealth in human evolution and human history Jane B. Lancaster and Hillard S. Kaplan
Part V. Health and Disease: 27. Evolutionary medicine, immunity and infectious disease Michael P. Muehlenbein
28. Complex chronic diseases in evolutionary perspective S. Boyd Eaton
29. Evolutionary medicine and the causes of chronic disease Paul W. Ewald
30. Beyond feast-famine: brain evolution, human life history and the metabolic syndrome Christopher W. Kuzawa
31. Human longevity and senescence Douglas E. Crews and James A. Stewart
32. Evolutionary psychiatry: mental disorders and behavioral evolution Brant Wenegrat
33. Industrial pollutants and human evolution Lawrence M. Schell
34. Acculturation and health Thomas W. McDade and Colleen H. Nyberg
Index.

Subject Areas: Evolution [PSAJ], Anthropology [JHM]