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Human variation. An introduction to physical anthropology
392
BOOK
NEWS
Human Variation. Anthropology
An Introduction to Physical
By J. F. Downs & H. K. Bleibtreu. 1972a. Beverly Hills: Glencoe Press. A vol. in-8”, x + 350 pp., 114 figs, index. Bound
$7.15.
This revised edition of a well-known areas of human paleontology
introductory
and primate
textbook
has been expanded
in the
behavior.
Contents Preface to the revised edition. THE BIOLOGY OF VARIATION. Introduction. What is Anthropology? What is Man? The uniqueness of Culture, The Physical Hallmarks of Man. Sex, Society, and Survival The Process of Evolution. The Development of Evolutionary Theory: Mythological explanations; the grand taxonomy of Linnaeus; Lamarck and the theory of acquired characteristics; Darwin and Wallace; the ecological niche. Competition and Adaptation. Variation: The Basis of Natural Selection. Natural Selection. Convergent and Parallel Evolution. Isolation. The Opportunism of Evolution. Ecology: The Animal in its Environment. Culture: Man’s Ecological Niche. The Problem of Definition. The Function of Culture in Survival and Development. The Causes of Vuriution: Genetics. The Development and The Inheritance of Single Gene and Polygenic Importance of Genetics. The Process of Reproduction. Mutation. Genetic Drift. Gene Traits. The Genetic Material. Fitness and Differential Reproduction. Flow. PALEOANTHROPOLOGY: MAN’S VARIATION THROUGH TIME. Conceptualizing the Process of Evolution. Chronospecies and Fossil Evidence. The Interpretation of Fossil Finds. Conceptualizing Human Evolution. Anatomical Considerations. Mun as a Primate. The Primates: Who They Are. Prosimians; Old and New World Monkeys. Apes. Primate Behavior. Early Fossil Primates. Aegyptopithecus; Ramapithecus; Gigantopithecus. Fossil Man. The Australopithecines. Homo Erectus. Homo Sapiens. Man’s Capacity for Language. The Origin of Racial Groups. VARIATION BETWEEN HUMAN Toward an Operational Definition. POPULATIONS. The Concept of Race. False Ideas about Race. Mating Patterns and Gene Pools. Problems in Racial Classification. The Names of Racial Groups. “PrimiIntelligence and Evolution. tive” Racial Traits. Psychological Traits. “Racial” Differences in Intelligence. Biological D~$krues between Interracial Marriage and Mating. The Capacity for Cultural Development. Human Populations. Blood Groups. Human Adaptability. Man at high altitudes; temperature stresses; Growth; skin color; resistance to disease; nutritional stress. Other Differences between Populations. hair form; hair color. The Distribution of Morphological Variation. stature; hair-quantity and distribution; Racial Groups and their Distribution. Caucasoids; Mongoloids; Negritos; the Ainu; Melanesian populations; Micronesians; Polynesians; aboriginal Pacific peoples; “Negroid” populations of Africa; other migration patterns to the New World; American Indians. Distinguishing Races. African populations; Variation within Human Populations. The Limits of Variation. “Normal” Physical Condition. Somatotyping. Individual Variation in Sex Traits. Individual Variation and Cultural Conformity. The Process of Maturation and Aging. Epilogue: Current Concerns. Urbanization. The Environments of the City. The Problem of Population Growth. Directed Evolution. Conclusions.
Evolution-
Concepts and Consequences
By L. S. Dillon.
1973.
Saint Louis:
The
Company. A vol. in-8’, x + 326 pp., bibl., index. Bound, price unknown.
C. V. Mosby
456
ills,
gloss.,
This stimulating book copes with its ambitious theme by providing the spectrum of contrasting interpretations on the current problems in this controversial field. The volume is carefully written and well illustrated.
contents Darwin and his Impact. Charles Darwin. Darwin’s theory. The modern synthesis. Rationale for the modem study of evolution. The Basic Concepts. Inheritance of Species Traits. Molecular basis of inheritance.
BOOK
393
NEWS
Cellular use of the DNA molecule. Evident results of DNA difkrencw. Populations and Their Genetic Structure. Populations and population genetics. Disturbing forcw. The Acquisition of Variability. Mutations in genes. Chromosomal aberrations. Changes in chromosome number. Causes of mutations. Dispersal ofGenetic Variation. Home range tendenciw. Gene flow. Gene Frquenciw and Population Size. Random changw in gene kequenciw. Fluctuations in population size. Directed Changes in Populations. The concept of natural selection. Effects of selection on organisms. Polytypy and The Interplay of Genetic Forces. Concepts con cerning major populations. Origins of subspeciw. The Origins of Speciw. Reproductive isolation. The speciw concept. The origins ofspeciw. Rhythm and Tempo in Speciation. Special models of speciw formation. Cyclic patterns in species formation. Temporal aspects of speciation. The Gmsequenw of Evolution. The Beginnings of Organic Evolution. The primitive earth. Processes preceding the advent oflife. The early history oflife. Evolution in Past Ages. Time scale ofevolution. Some important fossil histories. Evolution of the Early Vertebrates. Man’s phylum, the Chordata. Vertebrate beginnings. Origins ofTerrestrial Vertebratw. The tetrapod vertebrates. Principal patterns of change in the vertebrate. Evolution among the Mammals. Concepts pertaining to the extant mammals. Evolutionary changes in mammalian structure. Evolutionary Trends Among Man’s Next of Kin. Primate beginnings. Evolutionary advancw among the primatw. Primate evolution in retrospect. Neural Basis of Human Evolution. The cerebrum. The cerebellum. The Evolution of Man. Earliest evolutionary developments. Later levels of human evolution. Evolutionary Path of Modern Man. The races of modern man. Modern man and natural selection. Glossary.
The Concept
of Culture
(Basic Concepts in Anthropology). By L. A. White & B. Dillingham. 1973. Minneapolis : Burgess Publishing Company. A vol. in-8*, vi + 74 pp., 6 figs, bibl. Paper $1.50. This volume in the Burgess Basic Concepts in Anthropology series represents the most recent treatment of the concept and implications of “culture” by Professor L. A. White.
Preface. The basis of culture: the symbol. Man and culture. Man, cultural variation, and the concept of culture. Other conceptions of culture. Culturology. Culture as system. History of the theory of cultural evolution. How culture evolved. References cited. Additional readings.
MicroevolTltion of Human Popdatiolls By F. E. Johnston. 1973. Englewood Cliffs : Prentice-Hall. A vol. in-16’, viii + 152 pp., 7 figs, 19 tabs, bibl., index. Paper L2- IO. This book is a simplified treatment of population genetics that focuses on human groups and employs only a minimum of mathematics. The author demonstrates the similarities of microevolutionary processes in man to those seen among other mammalian species. He also illustrates the role of culture in the channelhng of human genetic variability.
contenta Preface. An Introduction to Microevolution. The Genetic Basis of Life. Chromosomw and what they regulate. The genotype, the locus, and the function of allelw. The causes of human variability. How our genw are cxpremed. The Transmission of Genw in Familiw. The segregation of allelw and the formation
BOOK
NEWS
Human Variation. Anthropology
An Introduction to Physical
By J. F. Downs & H. K. Bleibtreu. 1972a. Beverly Hills: Glencoe Press. A vol. in-8”, x + 350 pp., 114 figs, index. Bound
$7.15.
This revised edition of a well-known areas of human paleontology
introductory
and primate
textbook
has been expanded
in the
behavior.
Contents Preface to the revised edition. THE BIOLOGY OF VARIATION. Introduction. What is Anthropology? What is Man? The uniqueness of Culture, The Physical Hallmarks of Man. Sex, Society, and Survival The Process of Evolution. The Development of Evolutionary Theory: Mythological explanations; the grand taxonomy of Linnaeus; Lamarck and the theory of acquired characteristics; Darwin and Wallace; the ecological niche. Competition and Adaptation. Variation: The Basis of Natural Selection. Natural Selection. Convergent and Parallel Evolution. Isolation. The Opportunism of Evolution. Ecology: The Animal in its Environment. Culture: Man’s Ecological Niche. The Problem of Definition. The Function of Culture in Survival and Development. The Causes of Vuriution: Genetics. The Development and The Inheritance of Single Gene and Polygenic Importance of Genetics. The Process of Reproduction. Mutation. Genetic Drift. Gene Traits. The Genetic Material. Fitness and Differential Reproduction. Flow. PALEOANTHROPOLOGY: MAN’S VARIATION THROUGH TIME. Conceptualizing the Process of Evolution. Chronospecies and Fossil Evidence. The Interpretation of Fossil Finds. Conceptualizing Human Evolution. Anatomical Considerations. Mun as a Primate. The Primates: Who They Are. Prosimians; Old and New World Monkeys. Apes. Primate Behavior. Early Fossil Primates. Aegyptopithecus; Ramapithecus; Gigantopithecus. Fossil Man. The Australopithecines. Homo Erectus. Homo Sapiens. Man’s Capacity for Language. The Origin of Racial Groups. VARIATION BETWEEN HUMAN Toward an Operational Definition. POPULATIONS. The Concept of Race. False Ideas about Race. Mating Patterns and Gene Pools. Problems in Racial Classification. The Names of Racial Groups. “PrimiIntelligence and Evolution. tive” Racial Traits. Psychological Traits. “Racial” Differences in Intelligence. Biological D~$krues between Interracial Marriage and Mating. The Capacity for Cultural Development. Human Populations. Blood Groups. Human Adaptability. Man at high altitudes; temperature stresses; Growth; skin color; resistance to disease; nutritional stress. Other Differences between Populations. hair form; hair color. The Distribution of Morphological Variation. stature; hair-quantity and distribution; Racial Groups and their Distribution. Caucasoids; Mongoloids; Negritos; the Ainu; Melanesian populations; Micronesians; Polynesians; aboriginal Pacific peoples; “Negroid” populations of Africa; other migration patterns to the New World; American Indians. Distinguishing Races. African populations; Variation within Human Populations. The Limits of Variation. “Normal” Physical Condition. Somatotyping. Individual Variation in Sex Traits. Individual Variation and Cultural Conformity. The Process of Maturation and Aging. Epilogue: Current Concerns. Urbanization. The Environments of the City. The Problem of Population Growth. Directed Evolution. Conclusions.
Evolution-
Concepts and Consequences
By L. S. Dillon.
1973.
Saint Louis:
The
Company. A vol. in-8’, x + 326 pp., bibl., index. Bound, price unknown.
C. V. Mosby
456
ills,
gloss.,
This stimulating book copes with its ambitious theme by providing the spectrum of contrasting interpretations on the current problems in this controversial field. The volume is carefully written and well illustrated.
contents Darwin and his Impact. Charles Darwin. Darwin’s theory. The modern synthesis. Rationale for the modem study of evolution. The Basic Concepts. Inheritance of Species Traits. Molecular basis of inheritance.
BOOK
393
NEWS
Cellular use of the DNA molecule. Evident results of DNA difkrencw. Populations and Their Genetic Structure. Populations and population genetics. Disturbing forcw. The Acquisition of Variability. Mutations in genes. Chromosomal aberrations. Changes in chromosome number. Causes of mutations. Dispersal ofGenetic Variation. Home range tendenciw. Gene flow. Gene Frquenciw and Population Size. Random changw in gene kequenciw. Fluctuations in population size. Directed Changes in Populations. The concept of natural selection. Effects of selection on organisms. Polytypy and The Interplay of Genetic Forces. Concepts con cerning major populations. Origins of subspeciw. The Origins of Speciw. Reproductive isolation. The speciw concept. The origins ofspeciw. Rhythm and Tempo in Speciation. Special models of speciw formation. Cyclic patterns in species formation. Temporal aspects of speciation. The Gmsequenw of Evolution. The Beginnings of Organic Evolution. The primitive earth. Processes preceding the advent oflife. The early history oflife. Evolution in Past Ages. Time scale ofevolution. Some important fossil histories. Evolution of the Early Vertebrates. Man’s phylum, the Chordata. Vertebrate beginnings. Origins ofTerrestrial Vertebratw. The tetrapod vertebrates. Principal patterns of change in the vertebrate. Evolution among the Mammals. Concepts pertaining to the extant mammals. Evolutionary changes in mammalian structure. Evolutionary Trends Among Man’s Next of Kin. Primate beginnings. Evolutionary advancw among the primatw. Primate evolution in retrospect. Neural Basis of Human Evolution. The cerebrum. The cerebellum. The Evolution of Man. Earliest evolutionary developments. Later levels of human evolution. Evolutionary Path of Modern Man. The races of modern man. Modern man and natural selection. Glossary.
The Concept
of Culture
(Basic Concepts in Anthropology). By L. A. White & B. Dillingham. 1973. Minneapolis : Burgess Publishing Company. A vol. in-8*, vi + 74 pp., 6 figs, bibl. Paper $1.50. This volume in the Burgess Basic Concepts in Anthropology series represents the most recent treatment of the concept and implications of “culture” by Professor L. A. White.
Preface. The basis of culture: the symbol. Man and culture. Man, cultural variation, and the concept of culture. Other conceptions of culture. Culturology. Culture as system. History of the theory of cultural evolution. How culture evolved. References cited. Additional readings.
MicroevolTltion of Human Popdatiolls By F. E. Johnston. 1973. Englewood Cliffs : Prentice-Hall. A vol. in-16’, viii + 152 pp., 7 figs, 19 tabs, bibl., index. Paper L2- IO. This book is a simplified treatment of population genetics that focuses on human groups and employs only a minimum of mathematics. The author demonstrates the similarities of microevolutionary processes in man to those seen among other mammalian species. He also illustrates the role of culture in the channelhng of human genetic variability.
contenta Preface. An Introduction to Microevolution. The Genetic Basis of Life. Chromosomw and what they regulate. The genotype, the locus, and the function of allelw. The causes of human variability. How our genw are cxpremed. The Transmission of Genw in Familiw. The segregation of allelw and the formation