Understanding Human Evolution

This new edition provides a comprehensive overview to the field of paleontology—the study of human evolution by analyzing fossil remains. It includes the latest fossil finds, and it presents current controversies in an even-handed manner.The authors examine trends in human evolution, fossils, fossilization, and dating methods, determining evolutionary relationships, reconstructing ancient human behavior and social organizations, basal anthropoids, the evolution of monkeys and the transition to apes, the early Hominins, the Hominin divergence, the spread of Homo beyond Africa, transition to ArchaicHomo sapiens, Neandertals and their immediate predecessors and the appearance ofHomo sapiens sapiens. For those interested in a balanced paleoanthropology sourcebook.