G. A. Harrison - Böcker

This is the new edition of a textbook dealing with the nature, origins, development, and causes of human variety, and with the biological organization of past and present human populations.The familiar structure of the previous editions has been slightly modified, and the book is divided into four sections. These cover some of the general principles of evolutionary theory; the history of Primates; the fossil evidence for human evolution; aspects of Primate behaviour; the principles of genetics as applied to population studies; systematic descriptions of human variation; the nature of human growth and factors which determine it; varieties of human physique and other constitutional traits; and the ecology of human populations, considered especially in terms of adaptation processes.Two new authors, Professor D. Pilbeam and Professor P.T. Baker, both in the United States, have contributed the parts on human evolution and human adaptability respectively to this substantially revised and rewritten edition.

This book examines the concept of adaptation in four major fields in the human sciences. Genetic aspects are first considered through an examination of the human genes which have so far been identified as conferring survival value in particular environmental circumstances. The drift versus selection argument is also fully reviewed. The second contribution concerns the physiological changes which occur when individuals move from one environment to another. In the past, most attention has been given to the mechanisms of these changes, but here the focus is on the effects. The third contribution is directed at the analysis of behaviour - especially social behaviour. The application of kin selection and reciprocal attraction theories to humans is explored and the value of these approaches explained, whether the behaviour has a genetic basis or not. The final essay deals with the relevance of the adaptation concept to the social sciences and especially to social anthropology. It demonstrates that an ecological approach to understanding the nature and structure of human societies demands attention to adaptation.Reprinted in paperback for the first time and with a new foreword, this book, which serves as an excellent teaching text, clearly shows how attempts at integration in each of these various fields can benefit the study of human evolution, social structure and organization from all perspectives.

First published in 1977, this volume is a collection of eleven studies conducted during the International Biological Programme on the biological structure of human populations. They deal particularly with population genetics, demography and ecology, and discuss the experimental strategies to be adopted when making such studies. Each chapter is in the form of a broad review aimed at those wanting to understand human population biology. The volume is an international one, both in terms of its authorship and of the populations studied, and the projects discussed represent the whole variety of problems and approaches tackled by the IBP investigators interested in population biology. In short, this book represents an excellent evaluation of human biology in the mid-twentieth century. It will be of importance to university teachers, research workers and graduate students in anthropology and human biology.