Opis: The Real Planet of the Apes - David Begun

Was Darwin wrong when he traced our origins to Africa? The Real Planet of the Apes makes the explosive claim that it was in Europe, not Africa, where apes evolved the most important hallmarks of our human lineage--such as dexterous hands and larger brains. In this compelling and accessible book, David Begun, one of the world's leading paleoanthropologists, transports readers to an epoch in the remote past when the Earth was home to many migratory populations of ape species. Drawing on the latest astonishing discoveries in the fossil record as well as his own experiences conducting field expeditions across Europe and Asia, Begun provides a sweeping evolutionary history of great apes and humans. He tells the story of how one of the earliest members of our evolutionary group--a new kind of primate called Proconsul--evolved from lemur-like monkeys in the primeval forests of Africa. Begun vividly describes how, over the next 10 million years, these hominoids expanded into Europe and Asia and evolved climbing and hanging adaptations, longer maturation times, and larger brains, setting the stage for the emergence of humans. As the climate deteriorated in Europe around 10 million years ago, these apes either died out or migrated south, reinvading the African continent and giving rise to the lineages of the gorilla, chimpanzee, and, ultimately, the human. Presenting startling new insights about our fossil ape ancestors, The Real Planet of the Apes is a book that fundamentally alters our understanding of human origins. "[The Real Planet of the Apes] is enthralling, making accessible an absolutely critical period of human evolution and scientific debates surrounding the interpretation of its evidence--including [Begun's] own controversial thesis."--Steven Mithen, New York Review of Books "Begun's overarching goal is to promote his hypothesis that the ancestor of the African apes and humans may actually have evolved in Europe instead of Africa. He builds a strong case for this not-yet-mainstream idea while making it abundantly clear that he is open to data that would prove him wrong. Begun's passion is evident in both his writing and his science."--Publishers Weekly "The questions of where, when, and how our species evolved are fascinating."--KirkusPREFACE vii INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1 THE EARLY YEARS 27 CHAPTER 2 OUT OF AFRICA: AFROPITHECUS AND FRIENDS 62 CHAPTER 3 OUT IN THE WORLD: EARLY APES SPREAD IN EUROPE 73 CHAPTER 4 HOME AGAIN: THE NEW AFRO-EUROPEAN APES 97 CHAPTER 5 THE BIG EAST-WEST DIVIDE 118 CHAPTER 6 EAST SIDE STORY: OUR COUSINS SIVAPITHECUS AND THE ORANGUTANS 123 CHAPTER 7 WEST SIDE STORY: THE AFRICAN APES OF EUROPE 147 CHAPTER 8 THE DESCENDANTS OF DRYOPITHECUS 162 CHAPTER 9 BACK TO AFRICA AGAIN 187 POSTSCRIPT 227 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 231 NOTES 233 REFERENCES 237 INDEX 239

Szczegóły: The Real Planet of the Apes - David Begun

Tytuł: The Real Planet of the Apes
Autor: David Begun
Producent: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691149240
Rok produkcji: 2015
Ilość stron: 264
Oprawa: Twarda
Waga: 0.63 kg

Recenzje: The Real Planet of the Apes - David Begun