Bernard Wood Research Articles

Book review: Primates in History, Myth, Art & Science. Edited by Cecilia Veracini and Bernard Wood. CRC Press. 2024

Book review: Primates in History, Myth, Art & Science. Edited by Cecilia Veracini and Bernard Wood. CRC Press. 2024

Books on Human Evolution

Books on Human Evolution

A seismometer maps Mars’s anatomy

NASA’s InSight is the first mission to explore seismic waves in a planetary body since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Trail of feathers to the Neanderthal mind

Bernard Wood explores a claim that our nearest cousins were our cognitive equals — and that birds had a part to play in that. Bernard Wood explores a claim that our nearest cousins were our cognitive equals — and that birds had a part to play in that.

Geochemistry: Evaporating planetesimals.

In comparison to primitive, chondritic meteorites, which are widely thought to be the building blocks of Earth, Earth and other differentiated planetary bodies are chemically fractionated, with Earth's crust and mantlethe 'silicate Earth'being strongly depleted in moderately volatile elements (such as lead, zinc, indium and the alkali metals). Two papers in this week's issue suggest that this difference in composition between chondritic meteorites and Earth could be a natural consequence of vapour loss from magma on the surface of growing planetesimals. Ashley Norris and Bernard Wood examined the melting processes that would have occurred during accretion on Earth and its precursor bodies and performed vaporization experiments under conditions of fixed temperature and oxygen partial pressure. They found that the pattern of volatile-element depletion in the silicate Earth is consistent with partial melting and vaporization rather than with simple accretion of a volatile-rich chondrite-like body. Remco Hin and co-authors show that differentiated planetary bodies have isotopically heavier magnesium compositions compared to chondritic meteorites, and conclude that this could be due to the isotopic fractionation between liquid and vapour, followed by vapour escape during accretionary growth of planetesimals.

Presentation of the 2014 Roebling Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America to Bernard J. Wood

It is my pleasure to introduce this year’s Roebling Medalist, Professor Bernard Wood from the University of Oxford. Bernie is known internationally for his pioneering work in many fields of petrology and geochemistry, from geothermometry of coexisting pyroxenes in igneous and metamorphic rocks to the formation and constitution of Earth’s core. His work on the redox state of Earth’s mantle is the definitive study and involves approaches that he has since extended to Mars. Bernie is a Londoner, attending William Ellis School on the edge of Hampstead Heath in the early 1960s. On leaving school he eschewed university in favor of the bright lights of the North Thames Gas Board. Sadly, his skills with a burette and flask did not cut the mustard in the heady world of domestic gas supply and he took up higher education as a student at the Northern Polytechnic, now assimilated into London Metropolitan University. Graduating with some distinction in Geology and Chemistry he went on to complete a Masters in Geochemistry at the University of Leeds and a Ph.D. in Physics with Roger Strens at Newcastle University on crystal field theory …

Human evolution: Fifty years after Homo habilis

Bernard Wood explains why the announcement of 'handy man' in April 1964 threw the field of hominin evolution into a turmoil that continues to this day.

Scientists dig deep in Tohoku fault to crack earthquake’s secrets

Nine months of data from the world’s deepest observatory agree with lab measurements on a controversial quake parameter.

A note on rocky planet formation

Bernard Wood presents a nice overview in his article, “The formation and differentiation of Earth” (PHYSICS TODAY, December 2011, page 40). For many years the prevailing model has been that rocky planets formed in our solar system as a consequence of a succession of impacts of large objects during the first 100 million years or so following the Sun’s formation. That picture is the outcome of theoretical considerations combined with the study of asteroids, meteorites, and the rocky planets—Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Only recently has it become possible to confirm or deny by observation whether the rocky-planet formation time scale of 100 million years generally applies for Sun-like stars.A collision of large, rocky-planet embryos that orbit young stars would typically eject a mélange of rocky debris, as illustrated in Wood’s figure1. Abundant dusty debris has now been observed in orbit around a handful of young, nearby stars with ages between 30 million and 100 million years.11. C. Melis, B. Zuckerman, J. H. Rhee, I. Song, Astrophys. J. Lett. 717, L57 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/717/1/L57 The dust temperature, generally somewhat greater than the temperature of Earth, suggests that the colliding objects typically orbit at a distance from their stars similar to the distance from our sun to Venus. By contrast, there are no known examples of stars between, say, 100 million and 1000 million years old that have large quantities of orbiting warm dust particles. The most straightforward interpretation of those observations is that rocky planet formation around solar-mass stars is pretty much complete by the time the stars are 100 million years old, which agrees with what theory would have predicted.The same study indicates that rocky planet formation, in a zone analogous to the region of the rocky planets in the solar system, is common and perhaps nearly ubiquitous around Sun-like stars.11. C. Melis, B. Zuckerman, J. H. Rhee, I. Song, Astrophys. J. Lett. 717, L57 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/717/1/L57REFERENCESSection:ChooseTop of pageREFERENCES <<1. C. Melis, B. Zuckerman, J. H. Rhee, I. Song, Astrophys. J. Lett. 717, L57 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/717/1/L57, Google ScholarCrossref© 2012 American Institute of Physics.

Richard G. Delisle. Debating Humankind's Place in Nature, 1860–2000: The Nature of Paleoanthropology. With introductory and concluding essays by, Milford H. Wolpoff and Bernard Wood. (Advances in Human Evolution.) xvi + 447 pp., figs., app., bibl., index. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. $63.20 (paper).

Richard G. Delisle. Debating Humankind's Place in Nature, 1860–2000: The Nature of Paleoanthropology. With introductory and concluding essays by, Milford H. Wolpoff and Bernard Wood. (Advances in Human Evolution.) xvi + 447 pp., figs., app., bibl., index. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. $63.20 (paper).

Symposium on ‘Human evolution: ancestors and relatives’

Symposium on ‘Human evolution: ancestors and relatives’

Paleoanthropology, the Short Version

The Very Short Introduction series is just that, a series of pocket-sized (4.5× 7”) books about a wide variety of topics. It seems similar to the now-defunct French series “Que sais-je” (“what do I know,” or better “what should I know”). In this volume, Bernard Wood, a leading scholar of human evolution, presents the main theoretical background, fossil data, and interpretations of biological paleoanthropology; he specifically bypasses archaeology, which is set to appear in another “VSI” on Prehistory, but that loses one of the main integrative benefits of modern paleoanthropology. As part of the introductory/historical section, Wood presents two alternative classifications of higher primates, which will interest readers of Journal of Mammalian Evolution. In the traditional version, there are two families other than Hylobatidae (all apes in Pongidae; a subfamily Australopithecinae for all genera other than Homo within Hominidae), while there is just one in the version that includes genetic evidence; here, however, Wood is hoisted by his own petard, recognizing Ponginae, Gorillinae, and Homininae (with Panini and Hominini). The reason for recognizing an Italian sandwich as a tribe for chimps is obviously to keep our own minor clade at the currently-desired tribal level, but this leads to imbalance at the subfamily level. There is no simple answer-either humans must devolve to subtribe Hominina (homininans) or we can cheat as I have done and place Pan as Homininae indet., recognizing Gorillini and Hominini (or, of course, abandon Linnaean nomenclature altogether). About halfway through the book (chapter 5, p. 58), Wood begins to consider the human fossil record, with successive chapters on: the predecessors to Australopithecus; Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and the earliest species of Homo (which Wood here returns to that genus, despite previous ejection in Wood and Collard, 1999a,b); later species of Homo; and modern humans, including our origins and global dispersal. Each of these chapters has a “points to watch” box of current questions and controversies, as well as a site map and a typical Wood phylogram of taxon ranges without clear indications of phylogeny. Unfortunately, the size restrictions prevent the inclusion of photographs or even drawings of the fossils themselves, and morphology in general

Mineral-Melt Partitioning of Uranium, Thorium and Their Daughters

Research Article| January 01, 2003 Mineral-Melt Partitioning of Uranium, Thorium and Their Daughters Jonathan Blundy; Jonathan Blundy CETSEI, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, United Kingdom Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Bernard Wood Bernard Wood CETSEI, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, United Kingdom Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry (2003) 52 (1): 59–123. https://doi.org/10.2113/0520059 Article history first online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Jonathan Blundy, Bernard Wood; Mineral-Melt Partitioning of Uranium, Thorium and Their Daughters. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry 2003;; 52 (1): 59–123. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/0520059 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyReviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry Search Advanced Search The uranium and thorium decay series (hereafter “U-series”) include the nuclides of ten elements, all of which can be found at trace levels in rocks and minerals. The relatively short half-lives of the U-series nuclides give them considerable potential to decipher a wide variety of natural processes. The common observation of secular radioactive disequilibrium between parent and daughter nuclides provides a time dimension that is not possible with the more commonly used trace elements. However, just like conventional trace elements, the behavior of U-series elements depends on their partitioning between coexisting phases, such as minerals and melts. Interpreting radioactive disequilibrium... You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Human Paleobiology. By ROBERT ECKHARDT. (Pp. xiii+350; £52·50/$80 hardback; 0 521 45160 4). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2000

Journal of AnatomyVolume 199, Issue 5 p. 625-628 Free Access Human Paleobiology. By ROBERT ECKHARDT. (Pp. xiii+350; £52·50/$80 hardback; 0 521 45160 4). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2000 BERNARD WOOD, BERNARD WOODSearch for more papers by this author BERNARD WOOD, BERNARD WOODSearch for more papers by this author First published: 13 December 2002 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-7580.2001.199506251.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume199, Issue5November 2001Pages 625-628 RelatedInformation

Development, Growth and Evolution. Implications for the study of the Hominid Skeleton. Edited by PAUL O'HIGGINS and MARTIN COHN. (Pp. xiv+271; illustrated; hardback; ISBN 012 524965 9.) San Diego and London: Academic Press for the Linnean Society of London. 2000

Journal of AnatomyVolume 199, Issue 3 p. 369-372 Free Access Development, Growth and Evolution. Implications for the study of the Hominid Skeleton. Edited by PAUL O'HIGGINS and MARTIN COHN. (Pp. xiv+271; illustrated; hardback; ISBN 012 524965 9.) San Diego and London: Academic Press for the Linnean Society of London. 2000 BERNARD WOOD, BERNARD WOODSearch for more papers by this author BERNARD WOOD, BERNARD WOODSearch for more papers by this author First published: 13 December 2002 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1469-7580.2001.199303694.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume199, Issue3September 2001Pages 369-372 RelatedInformation

Recent Advances in Human Evolution Research

This isssue of Journal of Anatomy contains review articles based on a Symposium held during a joint meeting of the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the Anatomical Society of South Africa and the Nederlandse Anatomen Vereniging on 15 April 1998 at Rolduc, The Netherlands. The Symposium has been edited by Professor Bernard Wood whose initial review constitutes an introduction to the succeeding articles.

Early hominid evolution in Africa: The search for an ecological focus

Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and ReviewsVolume 4, Issue 5 p. 155-159 News Early hominid evolution in Africa: The search for an ecological focus Nancy E. Sikes, Nancy E. Sikes siwp09.cal.nes@ic.si.edu Nancy Sikes is a postdoctoral fellow with the Department of Anthropology's Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C. Located at the new Smithson Light Isotope Laboratory, her interests focus on the environmental adaptations and behavior of human ancestors using stable isotope analysis. She co-edited Early Hominid Behavioral Ecology (1994).Search for more papers by this authorBernard A. Wood, Bernard A. Wood bawood@liverpool.ac.uk Bernard Wood is Derby Professor of Anatomy in the Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Liverpool. His research focuses on interpreting the systematics as well as functional biology of early hominids. Among a long list of publications is his monograph, Koobi Fora Research Project, Volume 4: Hominid Cranial Remains (1991).Search for more papers by this author Nancy E. Sikes, Nancy E. Sikes siwp09.cal.nes@ic.si.edu Nancy Sikes is a postdoctoral fellow with the Department of Anthropology's Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C. Located at the new Smithson Light Isotope Laboratory, her interests focus on the environmental adaptations and behavior of human ancestors using stable isotope analysis. She co-edited Early Hominid Behavioral Ecology (1994).Search for more papers by this authorBernard A. Wood, Bernard A. Wood bawood@liverpool.ac.uk Bernard Wood is Derby Professor of Anatomy in the Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Liverpool. His research focuses on interpreting the systematics as well as functional biology of early hominids. Among a long list of publications is his monograph, Koobi Fora Research Project, Volume 4: Hominid Cranial Remains (1991).Search for more papers by this author First published: 1995 https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.1360040504Citations: 3 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume4, Issue51995Pages 155-159 RelatedInformation

Four million years of hominid evolution in Africa

Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and ReviewsVolume 2, Issue 4 p. 117-119 News Four million years of hominid evolution in Africa Bernard Wood, Bernard Wood is Derby Professor of Anatomy in the Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Liverpool. He qualified as a physician, then left medicine for hominid paleobiology. His work focuses on interpreting the early stages of the hominid fossil record, including its systematics and, increasingly, its functional biology. His monograph on the hominid cranial remains from Koobi Fora (1991) was both a detailed report on the Koobi Fora fossils and a general review of early hominid systematics. He was the joint editor of Food Acquisition and Processing in Primates (1984) and Major Topics in Primate and Human Evolution (1986).Search for more papers by this author Bernard Wood, Bernard Wood is Derby Professor of Anatomy in the Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Liverpool. He qualified as a physician, then left medicine for hominid paleobiology. His work focuses on interpreting the early stages of the hominid fossil record, including its systematics and, increasingly, its functional biology. His monograph on the hominid cranial remains from Koobi Fora (1991) was both a detailed report on the Koobi Fora fossils and a general review of early hominid systematics. He was the joint editor of Food Acquisition and Processing in Primates (1984) and Major Topics in Primate and Human Evolution (1986).Search for more papers by this author First published: 1993 https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.1360020404Citations: 2 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume2, Issue41993Pages 117-119 RelatedInformation

Koobi fora research project, Vol. 4: Hominid cranial remains. By Bernard Wood, xxvi + 466 pp. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. $220.00 (cloth)

Koobi fora research project, Vol. 4: Hominid cranial remains. By Bernard Wood, xxvi + 466 pp. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. $220.00 (cloth)

A Synthesis of the Evidence for Early Human EvolutionKoobi Fora Research Project. Vol. 4. Hominid Cranial Remains. Bernard Wood

A Synthesis of the Evidence for Early Human Evolution<i>Koobi Fora Research Project. Vol. 4. Hominid Cranial Remains</i>. Bernard Wood