Basics in Human Evolution. Edited by Michael P. Muehlenbein. Academic Press. Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Boston (Massachusetts): Elsevier. $120.00. xviii + 557 p. + 32 pl.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-0-12-802652-6. 2015.

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Previous articleNext article FreeEvolutionBasics in Human Evolution. Edited by Michael P. Muehlenbein. Academic Press. Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Boston (Massachusetts): Elsevier. $120.00. xviii + 557 p. + 32 pl.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-0-12-802652-6. 2015.Aryeh GrossmanAryeh GrossmanAnatomy, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona Search for more articles by this author Anatomy, Midwestern University, Glendale, ArizonaPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreThis is a laudably ambitious project. Although the title of the book indicates a focus on providing basic information about human evolution, in actuality it attempts to provide general reference to an audience interested in human evolution, modern human biology and genetics, human health and development, social organization, and human behavior—all viewed through a distinctly anthropological lens.The editor succeeded in herding 48 authors to produce 39 chapters organized into seven main parts. The first part includes only two chapters. The first chapter, introducing readers to the basic concepts of evolutionary theory and the facts of evolution, just might be the best chapter in the volume. Part II provides the primate background to human evolution, behavior, and anatomy. The introduction to the basics of primate behavior is particularly succinct and enjoyable. Part III covers the fossil record and phylogenetic hypotheses of early hominin through early to modern human evolution, and also addresses early hominin ecology, the origins of bipedal locomotion, and the evolution of tool use. Unfortunately, the chapters on hominin and human morphology and phylogeny follow a gradistic approach. For example, several authors lump Kenyathropus platyops and Australopithecus bahrelghazali with Australopithecus afarensis and prefer not to separate Paranthropus spp. from Australopithecus spp. This approach, which eliminates much of nuance of hominin evolution, is a poor choice for a book looking to provide a solid foundation into the current state of the field of human evolution. By contrast, the chapter on the origins of bipedalism provides a good review of different views about this crucial question in human evolution.From here on the volume enters its bioanthropological sections, which generally includes topics of more interest to the wider public. Part IV introduces readers to human population genetics, physiology, evolution of brain size and skin color, growth and aging, and reproductive ecology. The next part includes three chapters about modern subsistence modes. Part VI presents anthropological analyses of the relationships between changes in human environments and the rise of chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and pathogen evolution, human diet, and an introduction to paleopathology (how disease of the past are studied). This part addresses current health topics such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and the rise of infectious disease. The final part explores the connection of biology and different human behaviors, including stress, love, war and paternal care, mating systems, cognition and language, moral systems and reciprocal behaviors, race and ethnicity, and the evolution of culture. The book ends with a good glossary and some excellent color images and figures.Although the volume is uneven, its strength is its many parts and broad spectrum of ideas. The book is a collection of idiosyncratic treatises gathered into loosely congruent sections that will allow any reader to pick and choose where and what to focus on. Thus, various chapters can form an excellent introduction to different graduate courses in bioanthropology and the volume would fit on the shelf of any anthropology or general university library. Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Quarterly Review of Biology Volume 92, Number 1March 2017 Published in association with Stony Brook University Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/690866 For permission to reuse, please contact [email protected]PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.