Our Earliest Ancestors [Hardcover]

From Purgatorius , the earliest known primate, an omnivore the size of a squirrel, to our closest relatives--the African anthropoid apes, chimps and gorillas--and on to Homo sapiens , this volume affords an engrossing, concise, panoramic overview of human origins and evolution. Kurten, the late Finnish paleontologist and popular author, evenhandedly reviews current controversies, such as which ancestral line led to the hominids, why humans got up on two legs and whether modern human beings lived alongside the Neanderthals, who buried their dead with funeral gifts. He deduces that upright-walking Australopithecus , the earliest known hominid, is more closely related to apes than to humans. Kurten concludes that natural selection still operates among humans, who may be the only living beings with the potential for real advances in evolution. Illustrated.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In 12 clear and succinct chapters, the late paleontologist Kurten offers a brief overview of hominid evolution in terms of fossils, artifacts, and the Neo-Darwinian framework. This scientific introduction to the origin and history of our own species encompasses facts, theories, and their implications. Special attention is given to major changes in both anatomy and culture that have occurred from Homo habilis through Homo erectus to today's Homo sapiens. Kurten speculates on the emergence of bipedality, stone toolmaking, and articulate speech as well as common ancestral primate progenitors, Neanderthal extinction, and the future of human beings elsewhere in this universe. The concise text is enhanced by numerous maps, charts, and drawings. Unfortunately, the bibliography is inadequate. As a broad survey for students, teachers, and general readers interested in paleoanthropology, this is recommended for high school, academic, and public libraries.
- H. James Birx, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

One of the world's most beloved science writers tells the fascinating story of human evolution, from the first signs of life on earth three and a half billion years ago to the emergence of modernhumankind.