Lowly Origin: Where, When, and Why Our Ancestors First Stood Up - Hardcover

Kingdon, Jonathan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691050864 ISBN 13: 9780691050867

Verlag: Princeton University Press, 2003

Inhaltsangabe

The dominant theme of this book is bipedality, or walking upright on two feet, how this came about and what consequences it had for mankind. Written by a zoological artist, an authority on Africa's mammals, an ecologist and writer, this study argues that there are many ways in which the subject could and should be approached. Arguing not only that bipedality was a relatively inefficient response to environmental circumstances, Kingdon also stresses that it would be wrong to perceive standing as the single point at which man became different from apes. Walking upright, Kingdon believes, was but one of a series of evolutionary and adaptive changes in the history of man. Drawing on recent fossil evidence, placed within an ecological and biogeographical context, Kingdon discusses `what it meant - and what it means - to walk on two feet'.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Jonathan Kingdon is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Biological Anthropology and Department of Zoology of Oxford University.

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"Jonathan Kingdon's work is one of the things that make the present day such an exciting time for anyone with the slightest intellectual curiosity. His subject matter is our profound and thrilling human origins, and his stance toward it makes his work unique and priceless. Not only is Kingdon a scientist of commanding authority, he is an artist whose hand transmits his knowledge through drawings so swift and graceful that revelation and admiration arrive together. His wonderful new book takes a characteristically original look at one of the things that makes us human: our walking on two legs. There is no one alive who could do it better."--Philip Pullman, author ofThe Amber Spyglass

"Jonathan Kingdon is a Living World Treasure. One of Africa's greatest zoological artists, he is also one of zoology's leading authorities on Africa's mammals. A world class zoologist, ecologist, and writer, he also thinks deeply about human prehistory and evolution. Bipedality is humanity's founding peculiarity. Lowly Origin is Kingdon's highly original take on how it came about, and he manages to broaden his canvas to accommodate all of human evolution. An artist with words and a poet with images, only Jonathan Kingdon could have written this book."--Richard Dawkins, University of Oxford, Fellow of the Royal Society

"This well-written book offers new insights into the biogeographic and ecological influences on human evolution and helps us make sense of the fossil record."--Colin P. Groves, Australian National University

"Kingdon has made a unique contribution to the field of mammalian evolution and African ecology, both in his writing and in his art. His approach to human evolution, with its focus on the natural history of people and animals, is very special and important."--Robert A. Foley, University of Cambridge

Aus dem Klappentext

"Jonathan Kingdons work is one of the things that make the present day such an exciting time for anyone with the slightest intellectual curiosity. His subject matter is our profound and thrilling human origins, and his stance toward it makes his work unique and priceless. Not only is Kingdon a scientist of commanding authority, he is an artist whose hand transmits his knowledge through drawings so swift and graceful that revelation and admiration arrive together. His wonderful new book takes a characteristically original look at one of the things that makes us human: our walking on two legs. There is no one alive who could do it better."--Philip Pullman, author of The Amber Spyglass

"Jonathan Kingdon is a Living World Treasure. One of Africas greatest zoological artists, he is also one of zoologys leading authorities on Africas mammals. A world class zoologist, ecologist, and writer, he also thinks deeply about human prehistory and evolution. Bipedality is humanitys founding peculiarity. Lowly Origin is Kingdons highly original take on how it came about, and he manages to broaden his canvas to accommodate all of human evolution. An artist with words and a poet with images, only Jonathan Kingdon could have written this book."--Richard Dawkins, University of Oxford, Fellow of the Royal Society

"This well-written book offers new insights into the biogeographic and ecological influences on human evolution and helps us make sense of the fossil record."--Colin P. Groves, Australian National University

"Kingdon has made a unique contribution to the field of mammalian evolution and African ecology, both in his writing and in his art. His approach to human evolution, with its focus on the natural history of people and animals, is very special and important."--Robert A. Foley, University of Cambridge

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Princeton University Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2003
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0691050864
• ISBN 13: 9780691050867
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 416
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar