Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins

Here's the abbreviated version: The earliest hominids evolved from a primate in the Rift Valley in East Africa almost 7 mya (million years ago). The early group became extinct, but their descendents became australopithicus, represented best by the 3 foot tall 3.5 mya Lucy, also in the Rift Valley. Australopithicus became extinct about 2.2 mya. Descending from them before their demise were the Paranthropus group and the Homo group about 2.7 mya, again in the Rift Valley. The Paranthropus group, best known by P. robustus, became extinct by 1.2 mya. Homo habilis was the first of the homo species, giving rise to H. ergaster (a dead end), H. erectus, and H. heidelbergensis. H. erectus (fossils found from 1.9 mya to 30 kya) is thought to be the immediate ancestor of H. floresiensis, whose remains were discovered in 2004 and lived only 18,000 kya (thousand years ago). H. heidelbergensis gave rise to H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens.H. erectus wandered out of Africa 1.8 mya. Fossils have been found as far west as Italy and as far east as China and Indonesia. A group of H. heidelbergensis migrated from Africa about 600 kya and their fossils have been found from Spain to China. The European descendants of H. heidelbergensis evolved into Neanderthals (fossils found from 135 kya to 27 kya). African H. heidelbergensis is believed to have given rise to our own species 200 kya.H. sapiens migrated from the Rift Valley, throughout mid and southern Africa 150 kya. Some occupied part of the Levant from 130 kya to 80 kya. Another group headed east and by 50 kya had arrived in Australia and east Asia. Members of this group crossed the Bering Strait to the Americas about 20 kya. A fourth group headed northeast to Europe and northwest to all of Asia by 40 kya. Members of this group crossed the Bering strait again, this time 12 kya.This book from the Smithsonian is fantastic. They drafted celebrated Science journalist Carl Zimmer for the text and selected a whole field of supportive talent for the book's accessories. There are 164 high quality photographs, diagrams, and other visual aids out of 164 pages.Special one to two page synopses facilitate certain chapters on the subjects of: Fossil Evidence, Fossil Dating, DNA, The Chimpanzee Genome Project, Myth of the Missing Link, Orangutans and Upright Walking, Reconstructions of Specimens, Language, and Genetic Engineering.Of special interest to me is the explanation of how facial and bodily reconstruction is done - complete with beautiful reconstructive pictures of a Neanderthal mother and infant, a Neanderthal young girl, Lucy, H. floresiensis, and H. erectus."Smithsonian Guide to Intimate Human Origins" is simple enough for any layman but concise enough for any scientist wanting a synopsis of the latest knowledge in human origins and paleontology. Complete with the DNA genealogies that have clarified so many questions in this field of study, this book is simply outstanding.

There are several reasons why this book belongs in every home and high school science classroom:1) Carl Zimmer is an excellent journalist. He's a talented writer whose interesting to read, his work focuses nearly exclusively on science along with publishing general works on evolution so he's understands the science behind our human origins, and his talent as a writer allows him to write at a level a 10th grader can understand rather than often cryptic jargon of someone immersed in the research. He also humanizes his reporting with several human-interest stories of the scientists behind some of our biggest stories as well as portraying the thrill of "the find of a lifetime" that several fortunate scientists and their teams experience.2) The book is beautifully illustrated and photographed. I especially enjoyed the comparative skull photos and illustrations.3) This book focuses on a particular game plan, human origins, with very little tangential forays. It spends very little time on the general theory of evolution itself, religious objections, or technical controversies those immersed in the industry debate. Instead Zimmer and his editor provide a journalistic account of the state of our knowledge regarding human evolution, specifically: fossil finds, hypotheses and theories on immigration, technology development and its effect on mutations, and even a chapter on human potential for change in the future.This would be an excellent supplemental book for a high school biology class or even 100-level college classes due to its relatively short length at a heavily illustrated 165 pages. It been 20 years since I read a book focused exclusively on human origins so I was well rewarded with what we've learned since then along with some great pictures of fossil finds. I was also able to purchase a like-new used book on Amazon for about $7 so this is a no-brainer; order this book!!!

Zimmer, as usual, did a fine job in picking and presenting the current thoughts on how we humans came to be. While I have read a number of books in this general field, Intimate Guide pulls up many fine details that clear up some confusion between theories and make for a great read. It is especially helpful in understanding how hominids originally populated the world and how we fit into the picture.The excellent photos and illustrations are helpful and compliment the text very well. A very good choice for anyone who wonders where we came from.

Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins is what I would call of a beginner's guide to much of the up-to-date information we have on human evolution. Published in 2005 this is one of the best books on human origins. Not just because of the details but because of the beauty of the book itself - tons of full color photos, clear and easy to understand graphs and a lovely dust cover, this book is a must for any collection. I finished the book in a day, not because it was light reading, but because it was a joy to read. From fossils to DNA, from looking at our past to exploring what may be our future, from stone tools to culture. The author really digs into the subject WITHOUT talking down at the reader OR getting trapped in the messy details or complex scientific debates.

Finally, an explanation of evolution that is easy for the lay person to understand. The book is clear, concise and informative. A lot of detail is left out, but, I think that for the beginner, it is very appropriate. I have tried to read a lot of the books discussing the DNA breakthroughs involved with evolution, and I usually felt that I needed a PhD. This book did an excellent job of discussing basic evolutionary facts and theories. The pictures are awesome as well. I believe that this book would be good for a junior or senior highschool student, as well as any adult interested in learning about this subject.

A small masterpiece: readable and scientifically grounded

Wunderschönes Büchlein, sehr übersichtliche Einführung in die Geschichte der Menschheit. Gute und viele Abbildungen wie Diagramme und Schaubilder sowie Fotos von Funden und Rekonstruktionen. Schmal und gut durchzulesen, gute Qualität.

Great price. Very good condition.

Un acquisto che è un ottimo investimento culturale. Perchè non viene tradotto in lingua italiana? Libri come questo sono una bellissima pubblicità per indurre il lettore a fare un viaggio allo Smithsonian Museum!