In one sense, human heads function much like those of other mammals. We use them to chew, smell, swallow, think, hear, and so on. But, in other respects, the human head is quite unusual. Unlike other animals, even our great ape cousins, our heads are short and wide, very big brained, snoutless, largely furless, and perched on a short, nearly vertical neck. Daniel E. Lieberman sets out to explain how the human head works, and why our heads evolved in this peculiarly human way.
Exhaustively researched and years in the making, this innovative book documents how the many components of the head function, how they evolved since we diverged from the apes, and how they interact in diverse ways both functionally and developmentally, causing them to be highly integrated. This integration not only permits the head's many units to accommodate each other as they grow and work, but also facilitates evolutionary change. Lieberman shows how, when, and why the major transformations evident in the evolution of the human head occurred. The special way the head is integrated, Lieberman argues, made it possible for a few developmental shifts to have had widespread effects on craniofacial growth, yet still permit the head to function exquisitely.
This is the first book to explore in depth what happened in human evolution by integrating principles of development and functional morphology with the hominin fossil record. The Evolution of the Human Head will permanently change the study of human evolution and has widespread ramifications for thinking about other branches of evolutionary biology.
In one sense, human heads function much like those of other mammals. We use them to chew, smell, swallow, think, hear, and so on. But, in other respects, the human head is quite unusual. Unlike other animals, even our great ape cousins, our heads are short and wide, very big brained, snoutless, largely furless, and perched on a short, nearly vertical neck. Daniel E. Lieberman sets out to explain how the human head works, and why our heads evolved in this peculiarly human way.
Exhaustively researched and years in the making, this innovative book documents how the many components of the head function, how they evolved since we diverged from the apes, and how they interact in diverse ways both functionally and developmentally, causing them to be highly integrated. This integration not only permits the head's many units to accommodate each other as they grow and work, but also facilitates evolutionary change. Lieberman shows how, when, and why the major transformations evident in the evolution of the human head occurred. The special way the head is integrated, Lieberman argues, made it possible for a few developmental shifts to have had widespread effects on craniofacial growth, yet still permit the head to function exquisitely.
This is the first book to explore in depth what happened in human evolution by integrating principles of development and functional morphology with the hominin fossil record. The Evolution of the Human Head will permanently change the study of human evolution and has widespread ramifications for thinking about other branches of evolutionary biology.
Lieberman's integrated approach will make his book a forum for a way of thinking in human evolution that has not yet found its equal in print. -- Christopher Dean, University College London This is an outstanding book. Lieberman draws from a wide variety of disciplines, including bone biology, embryology, morphometrics, functional anatomy, and paleontology to forge a masterful synthesis of the evolution of the human head. It will be the definitive reference for decades. John G. Fleagle, Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University
Daniel E. Lieberman is Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard.
Lieberman's integrated approach will make his book a forum for a
way of thinking in human evolution that has not yet found its equal
in print.
*Christopher Dean, University College London*
This is an outstanding book. Lieberman draws from a wide variety of
disciplines, including bone biology, embryology, morphometrics,
functional anatomy, and paleontology to forge a masterful synthesis
of the evolution of the human head. It will be the definitive
reference for decades.
*John G. Fleagle, Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook
University*
Lieberman offers acute descriptions of anatomy, embryology,
physiology, and hominid fossils, while providing an exciting way to
observe the relationships among structures, functions, and
evolutionary variance.
*Library Journal*
Lieberman dives deep into the cranium, showing just how much of
what we consider to be human is connected to what happens above the
neck.
*Boston Globe*
Daniel Lieberman has written a wonderful and inspiring book about
the human head's evolution...One stands in awe at the work that has
gone into it...This encyclopedic book is transformative...The
morphological details in Lieberman's book make it a direct
descendant of Gray's Anatomy...If a single word describes this
book, it is integrative. The author integrates material from
anatomy, physiology, physics, biomechanics, molecular and
developmental biology, but brings all under the umbrella of
evolutionary theory.
*Times Higher Education*
This [is an] impressive book...This hefty and well-written book
offers a scholarly breadth and attention to detail that are
certainly laudable. The book is quite unusual in that it includes a
comprehensive review of the soft tissues associated with cranial
features and discusses them within the context of evolutionary
morphology and the fossil record of the human skull. I can think of
no other volume that packages the anatomy of the human head in this
fashion...Lieberman's big book definitely moves us ahead in
effectively synthesizing so much of what is currently understood
about the structure, function and evolution of the human head.
*American Scientist*
By rooting his study in the basics of tissue mechanics and
functional morphology, Lieberman does the spadework to which all
such studies aspire but few achieve--and makes that task seem
elegant and effortless.
*Nature*
Daniel Lieberman marshals diverse evidence to provide a
comprehensive framework for understanding patterns of variation and
covariation in the form, function, and phylogeny of the human
head...The breadth and diversity of subject matter the volume will
impart to the reader is particularly laudable. Lieberman's holistic
approach is a welcome, if not requisite, strategy for addressing a
multifarious biological system such as the human head. The book's
focus on both hard- and soft-tissue components, consideration of
how such elements correspond to one another, and comprehensive
overview of external and internal influences on patterns of
morphological variation and covariation clearly set the tone for
how one might profitably investigate cranial evolution across all
vertebrates. The introductions to myriad biological concepts,
surveys of some modern approaches to outstanding
paleoanthropological questions, and review of fossil evidence
regarding evolutionary transformations in human skull form will
enlighten readers of all backgrounds. The Evolution of the Human
Head is an entertaining read...It contains a wealth of information
relevant to human evolution. In doing so, it offers a wonderful
entrée into many of the outstanding issues that will undoubtedly
remain at the center of debates regarding human origins for years
to come.
*Science*
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