Patterns of Growth and Development in the Genus Homo

by J. L. Thompson, G. E. Krovitz, A. J. Nelson

Overview

Assuming that the earliest human ancestors grew more like apes than current-day humans, when, how and why did our modern growth pattern evolve? Covering growth patterns within available Plio-Pleistocene Hominids, including juvenile fossil specimens, and individuals assigned to the newest species, Homo antecessor, this book provides a rich data source for anthropologists and evolutionary biologists exploring these questions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521822725
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/04/2003
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology , #37
Pages:	470
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.29(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

JENNIFER L. THOMPSON is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

GAIL E. KROVITZ is Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University.

ANDREW J. NELSON is Associate Professor of Anthropology at The University of Western Ontario.

Table of Contents

List of contributors; Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction G. E. Krovitz, A. J. Nelson and J. L. Thompson; Part I. Setting the Stage: What Do we Know about Human Growth and Development?: 2. The human pattern of growth and development in paleontological perspective B. Bogin; 3. Postnatal ontogeny of facial position in Homo sapiens and Pan troglodytes B. McBratney-Owen and D. E. Lieberman; 4. Variation in modern human dental development H. Liversidge; 5. Developmental variation in the facial skeleton on anatomically modern Homo sapiens U. Strand Vidarsdóttir and P. O'Higgins; 6. Linear growth variation in the archaeological record L. T. Humphrey; 7. Hominid growth and development: the modern context J. L. Thompson, A. J. Nelson and G. E. Krovitz; Part II. The First Steps: From Australopithecines to Middle Pleistocene Homo: 8. Reconstructing australopithecine growth and development: what do we think we know? K. L. Kuykendall; 9. Growth and life history in Homo erectus S. C. Antón and S. R. Leigh; 10. Patterns of dental development in Lower and Middle Pleistocene hominins from Atapuerca (Spain) J. M. Bermúdez de Castro, F. Ramírez Rozzi, M. Martinón-Torres, S. Sarimiento Pérez and A. Rosas; 11. Hominid growth and development from australopithecines to Middle Pleistocene Homo G. E. Krovitz, J. L. Thompson and A. J. Nelson; Part III. The Last Steps: The Approach to Modern Humans: 12. Diagnosing heterochronic perturbations in the craniofacial evolution of Homo (Neandertals and modern humans) and Pan (P. troglodytes and P. paniscus) F. L. Williams, L. R. Godfrey and M. R. Sutherland; 13. Shape and growth differences between Neandertals and modern humans: grounds for a species-level distinction? G. E. Krovitz; 14. Ontogenetic patterning and phylogenetic significance of mental foramen number and position in the evolution of Upper Pleistocene Homo sapiens H. Coqueugniot and N. Minugh-Purvis; 15. A new approach to the quantitative analysis of postcranial growth in Neandertals and modern humans: evidence from the hipbone T. Majó and A.-M. Tillier; 16. Ontogenetic variation in the Dederiych Neandertal infants: postcranial evidence O. Kondo and H. Ishida; 17. Hominid growth and development in Upper Pleistocene Homo A. J. Nelson, G. E. Krovitz and J. L. Thompson; 18. Conclusions: putting it all together A. J. Nelson, J. L. Thompson and G. E. Krovitz; Index.

Editorial Reviews

Review of the hardback: 'This volume shows how far research in this area has come in the last few decades … This book is an excellent addition to the literature on growth and development, and a long overdue examination of our own genus's growth and development.' Osteoarchaeology

Review of the hardback: 'This book is an excellent addition to the literature on growth and development, and a long overdue examination of our own genus's growth and development.' International Journal of Osteoarchaeology

From the Publisher