The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack write by Ian Tattersall. This book was released on 2015-06-09. The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. In his new book The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack, human paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall argues that a long tradition of "human exceptionalism" in paleoanthropology has distorted the picture of human evolution. Drawing partly on his own career—from young scientist in awe of his elders to crotchety elder statesman—Tattersall offers an idiosyncratic look at the competitive world of paleoanthropology, beginning with Charles Darwin 150 years ago, and continuing through the Leakey dynasty in Africa, and concluding with the latest astonishing findings in the Caucasus. The book's title refers to the 1856 discovery of a clearly very old skull cap in Germany's Neander Valley. The possessor had a brain as large as a modern human, but a heavy low braincase with a prominent brow ridge. Scientists tried hard to explain away the inconvenient possibility that this was not actually our direct relative. One extreme interpretation suggested that the preserved leg bones were curved by both rickets, and by a life on horseback. The pain of the unfortunate individual's affliction had caused him to chronically furrow his brow in agony, leading to the excessive development of bone above the eye sockets. The subsequent history of human evolutionary studies is full of similarly fanciful interpretations. With tact and humor, Tattersall concludes that we are not the perfected products of natural processes, but instead the result of substantial doses of random happenstance.
The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack
The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack write by Ian Tattersall. This book was released on 2015-06-09. The Strange Case of the Rickety Cossack available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. American Museum of Natural History emeritus curator Ian Tattersall recounts the surprising twists and turns in our understanding of our biological past
Becoming Human
Becoming Human - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Becoming Human write by Ian Tattersall. This book was released on 1999. Becoming Human available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Explores the evolution of humankind--who we are, where we came from, and where we are going.
The Tales Teeth Tell
The Tales Teeth Tell - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Tales Teeth Tell write by Tanya M. Smith. This book was released on 2018-10-23. The Tales Teeth Tell available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. What human teeth can tell us about our evolution, development, and behavior . . . This fascinating, accessible study will “put a smile on your face with its weird facts about primate dentistry and the shrinking grins of modern-day humans” (Washington Post). Our teeth have intriguing stories to tell. These sophisticated time machines record growth, diet, and evolutionary history as clearly as tree rings map a redwood's lifespan. Each day of childhood is etched into tooth crowns and roots—capturing birth, nursing history, environmental clues, and illnesses. The study of ancient, fossilized teeth sheds light on how our ancestors grew up, how we evolved, and how prehistoric cultural transitions continue to affect humans today. In The Tales Teeth Tell, biological anthropologist Tanya Smith offers an engaging and surprising look at what teeth tell us about the evolution of primates—including our own uniqueness. Humans’ impressive set of varied teeth provides a multipurpose toolkit honed by the diet choices of our mammalian ancestors. Fossil teeth, highly resilient because of their substantial mineral content, are all that is left of some long-extinct species. Smith explains how researchers employ painstaking techniques to coax microscopic secrets from these enigmatic remains. Counting tiny daily lines provides a way to estimate age that is more powerful than any other forensic technique. Dental plaque—so carefully removed by dental hygienists today—records our ancestors' behavior and health in the form of fossilized food particles and bacteria, including their DNA. Smith also traces the grisly origins of dentistry, reveals that the urge to pick one’s teeth is not unique to humans, and illuminates the age-old pursuit of “dental art.” The book is generously illustrated with original photographs, many in color.
A Natural History of Wine
A Natural History of Wine - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook A Natural History of Wine write by Ian Tattersall. This book was released on 2015-11-28. A Natural History of Wine available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. “Wine is art. Wine is ritual. Wine is culture. Wine is romance. But in the hands of Tattersall and DeSalle . . . we learn that wine is also science.”—Neil deGrasse Tyson A Wall Street Journal Best Book for Wine Lovers An excellent bottle of wine can be the spark that inspires a brainstorming session. Such was the case for Ian Tattersall and Rob DeSalle, scientists who frequently collaborate on book and museum exhibition projects. When the conversation turned to wine one evening, it almost inevitably led the two—one a palaeoanthropologist, the other a molecular biologist—to begin exploring the many intersections between science and wine. This book presents their fascinating, freewheeling answers to the question “What can science tell us about wine?” And vice versa. Conversational and accessible to everyone, this colorfully illustrated book embraces almost every imaginable area of the sciences, from microbiology and ecology (for an understanding of what creates this complex beverage) to physiology and neurobiology (for insight into the effects of wine on the mind and body). The authors draw on physics, chemistry, biochemistry, evolution, and climatology, and they expand the discussion to include insights from anthropology, primatology, entomology, Neolithic archaeology, and even classical history. The resulting volume is indispensable for anyone who wishes to appreciate wine to its fullest. “Chemistry. Evolutionary biology. Genetics. This book is an excellent layman’s refresher on these diverse topics, and many more, and how they fit into the grand scheme of wine . . . A fact-packed and accessible read that goes a long way toward explaining why and how wine became such an important component in our enjoyment of the natural world.”—Wine Spectator
