Ancestors : in search of human origins /

Ancestors : in search of human origins /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Johanson, Donald C.
Edition:	1st ed.
Imprint:	New York : Villard Books, 1994.
Description:	ix, 339 pages : illustrations (some color), color maps ; 25 cm
Language:	English
Subject:	Human beings -- Origin. Prehistoric peoples. Human evolution. Human beings -- Origin. Human evolution. Prehistoric peoples.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/1724832

Hidden Bibliographic Details
Other uniform titles:	Nova (Television program) Nova (Television program)
Other authors / contributors:	Johanson, Lenora. Edgar, Blake.
ISBN:	0679420606 9780679420606
Notes:	"The companion volume to the Nova series"--Jacket. Includes bibliographical references (pages 332-339).
Summary:	"When he discovered "Lucy," the oldest skeleton of any erect-walking human ancestor ever found, Donald Johanson made headlines all over the world." "Johanson, author of Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind, the controversial bestseller that altered the science of anthropology, is now the preeminent authority on human evolution. In Ancestors, his most ambitious work to date, Johanson calls on both extensive, hands-on field-work and current scientific theory to widen the ever-growing window to the human past." "Ancestors is the companion volume to a three-part miniseries - hosted by Johanson - of the award-winning PBS science series NOVA. With spectacular photographs and riveting accounts of Dr. Johanson's recent adventures in such exotic landscapes as fossil-rich eastern Africa and the Willandra Lakes region of Australia, the excitement of discovery is contagious. Like a good detective on a lead, Johanson crosses four continents, gathering clues to hominid anatomy, habitat, and placement along the fossil time line in an effort to piece together a compelling picture of human ancestry." "Johanson draws from the work of other evolution detectives - archeologists, biologists, geologists, other paleoanthropologists - introducing a cast of eccentric characters and giving a behind-the-scenes look at how scientists work. Johanson also delves into the three most hotly debated topics in the field: why hominids began to walk upright, whether they were "noble hunters" or "cunning scavengers," and at what point Homo sapiens evolved." "Full of anecdote, drama, innovative theory, and the mystery of human origins, Ancestors is a spell-binding read."--Jacket.
Other form:	Online version: Johanson, Donald C. Ancestors. 1st ed. New York : Villard Books, 1994

Table of Contents:

Ch. 1. Prologue to a Mystery: Return to Hadar
Ch. 2. The Ape That Stood Up: Australopithecus afarensis
Ch. 3. Scavenger Hunt: Homo babilis
Ch. 4. The Nutcracker People: Australopithecus robustus
Ch. 5. Big Bodies, Big Brains: Homo erectus
Ch. 6. Looking for Eden: "Archaic" Homo sapiens
Ch. 7. Neandertal Enigma: Homo neanderthalensis
Ch. 8. The Human Revolution: Homo sapiens.