Includes glossary, bibliographical references, and index (pages 155-160).
Contents:
Section 4: OUr 14,400-year-old relationship with bread / WHy is homo sapiens the sole surviving member of the human species? / Krystal D'Costa. Losing key DNA made us modern humans / Philip L. Reno ; Ancient girl had denisovan and neanderthal parents / Krystal D'Costa ; The fossil that rewrote human prehistory / Jason Heaton, Travis Rayne Pickering, Dominic Stratford ; Nobel winner Svante P�a�abo discovered the neanderthal in our genes / Daniela Mocker ; Piltdown man came from The Lost World...well, no, it didn't / Darren Naish -- Section 2: What makes us human? What makes the human foot unique / Krystal D'Costa ; What made us unique / Kevin Laland ; Is "junk DNA" what makes humans unique? / Zach Zorich ; What makes humans different than any other species / Gary Stix -- Section 3: Invention and innovation. Ancient stone tools force rethinking of human origins / Kate Wong ; The other tool users / Michael Haslam ; Early butchers used small stone scalpels / Christopher Intagliata ; Stone age string strengthens case for neanderthal smarts / Kate Wong ; Is this going to be a stand-up fight, sir, or another sloth hunt? / Riley Black ; The origins of creativity / Heather Pringle ; Mind your "Fs" and "Vs": agriculture may have shaped both human jaws and language / Anna Pycha ; The cultural origins of language / Christine Kenneally ; An ancient proto-city reveals the origin of home / Annalee Newitz -- Section 4: You are what you eat. Case for (very) early cooking heats up / Kate Wong ; Human evolution led to an extreme thirst for water / Asher Y. Rosinger ; OUr 14,400-year-old relationship with bread / Krystal D'Costa.
Summary:
"How did humans get their start as a species? This is one of the core questions that have preoccupied humankind for centuries. This volume considers the complex and often mysterious characteristics that define humanity, including its unique anatomical and neurological features, behaviors such as use of tools and language, and the social structures that are unique to the species. The book also considers how the species has evolved over time and how it may continue to evolve." -- provided by the publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.