Primates and Human Ancestors (The Prehistoric Earth)
The Prehistoric Earth is a set devoted to dinosaurs and other fascinating prehistoric creatures, including mammals, birds, flying reptiles, fish and other ocean life, and human ancestors. Each title highlights fundamental principles of scientific inquiry and provides insight into the work of scientists. Striking full-color photographs and illustrations bring to life the secrets of Earth's ancient past. This is an outstanding resource for readers of any age who are interested in well-written and thought-provoking introductory-level discussions on select topics in evolutionary history. Highly recommended for both home and school libraries.
An anthropologist and an admissions officer at Boston University, Brigette is having a streak of bad luck. First, her archaeologist boyfriend of six years announces that he’s finally gotten his own dig in Egypt and there’s no place for her there. Then she loses her job. At loose ends, Brigette goes home to her mother, who is zealously pursuing her family’s genealogy. Brigette has no interest in her ancestors, but since she has nothing else to do, she agrees to help her mom with the research, and what Brigette finds out about their past changes the course of her life.
• COVER: A Window On the War in Afghanistan - As Washington debates what to do about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, photographer Adam Ferguson captures and describes the daily lives of the men fighting it • NATION: An Enemy Within - Out on the prairie, the feds arrest and charge an Afghan with a bomb recipe on his laptop. Was there a wider terrorist plot? • SCIENCE: A Long-Lost Relative - The oldest hominid skeleton ever discovered offers unexpected clues to what our even more ancient ancestors might have looked like
Scientific American DigitalSpecial Edition (June 2006)
SYNOPSIS:
A savvy handicapper would never have put money on the continued existence of this evolutionary dark horse. Nearly hairless, weak--no sharp claws or slicing teeth here--and slow, with a bumpy bipedal gait, humans might initially appear to be one of the unlikeliest survivors on earth. Except for the oversize brains.
So much of the rise of our ancestors from humble beginnings to today's world-dominant swell of humanity tracked the stunning growth of all that furrowed cortex. From roughly two million years to 250,000 years ago, the brain's total volume expanded by a tablespoonful every 100,000 years, estimates Harvard University biologist E. O. Wilson. If we could stretch a modern person's cortex flat, it would occupy an area the size of four sheets of standard letter-size paper. In contrast, a chimp's would cover one sheet; a monkey's, a postcard; and a rat's, a stamp.
But size alone does not explain our matchless reasoning skills. One of the mysteries of human evolution is that other species with large brains (such as Neandertals) seemingly did not achieve comparable levels of cognition. Could a cultural innovation, perhaps driven by rapid environmental changes, have contributed to the rise of symbolic thought, language and cooperative group society?
As our primate ancestors' intellects deepened, their bodies continued to morph. Their need to stoke the energy-consuming organ in their skulls with nutritious, calorie-rich fuel created selection pressure favoring features now characteristic of primates, such as grasping hands with opposable thumbs. "To a great extent," concludes Katharine Milton, "we are truly what we eat."
Even as recent discoveries answer some questions about our fascinating and complex history, they raise others. Alone among creatures alive today, we enjoy the ability to contemplate our species' odyssey through time. Food for thought.
Learning Chinese mythology has never been so easy and fun. Learn about mythology's themes, characters, and symbols. Myths contain strong influences from Chinese folk religion, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Chinese folk religion, the oldest of the four, pays homage to ancestors who watch from afar and guide the lives of those still living on earth.
