Bücher der Reihe Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology

As a group, western diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, allergies and mental health problems constitute one of the major problems facing humans at the beginning of the 21st century, particularly as they extend into poorer countries. An evolutionary perspective has much to offer standard biomedical understandings of western diseases. At the heart of this approach is the notion that human evolution occurred in circumstances very different from the modern affluent western environment and that, as a consequence, human biology is not adapted to the contemporary western environment. Written with an anthropological perspective and aimed at advanced undergraduates and graduates taking courses in the ecology and evolution of disease, Tessa Pollard applies and extends this evolutionary perspective by analysing trends in rates of western diseases and providing a new synthesis of current understandings of evolutionary processes, and of the biology and epidemiology of disease.

Colobine monkeys are a frequently overlooked group of primates, yet they exhibit extraordinary behavioural and ecological diversity and are highly threatened. Bringing together international experts, this book summarizes current knowledge, appealing to researchers and graduate students in primatology, biological anthropology and conservation.

Written for students and researchers interested in how primates, including ourselves, evolved, Primate and Human Evolution explores evolutionary anthropology from a broad comparative perspective, and presents a new model of human origins that does not depend solely on global climatic change.

The follow-up companion to The Anthropology of Modern Human Teeth (Cambridge, 1997), this volume focuses on applied dental research. It starts with a cutting-edge section on genetics, and continues with a series of case studies demonstrating the utility of morphological analysis in fossil hominin and more recent populations (and individuals).

Through a historical perspective on the long-studied Arashiyama population of Japanese macaques, this book reviews the range of current primatological research topics, including life history, sexual, social and cultural behaviour and ecology. It highlights the historic value of the Arashiyama group and illustrates its continuing importance with significant new research.

Blurton Jones interweaves data from ecology, demography and evolutionary ecology to present a comprehensive analysis of the Hadza tribe. Discussion centres on expansion of the adaptationist perspective beyond topics customarily studied in human behavioural ecology, to interpret a wider range of anthropological concepts.

Consanguinity in Context will appeal to a wide readership, from clinicians and geneticists to anthropologists and social scientists. Written in an approachable manner, with excellent illustrations and relevant background information, this book is the essential guide to the controversial medical and social issue of intra-familial marriage.

Timely analysis of medical and evolutionary data to address the role body fat has played in human biology, including in the current obesity epidemic. Obesity researchers from human biologists and anthropologists to health professionals will benefit from this comprehensive evolutionary approach to examining human body composition.

Uniting contributions from international experts, this first ever volume on the Cheirogaleidae family reviews their behaviour, physiology, ecology, genetics and biogeography in one comprehensive volume. Featuring previously unpublished research, this unique book will encourage further exploration of the dwarf and mouse lemurs of Madagascar.

Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) have a wide geographical distribution and extensively overlap with human societies across southeast Asia, regularly utilizing the edges of secondary forest and inhabiting numerous anthropogenic environments, including temple grounds, cities and farmlands. Yet despite their apparent ubiquity across the region, there are striking gaps in our understanding of long-tailed macaque population ecology. This timely volume, a key resource for primatologists, anthropologists and conservationists, underlines the urgent need for comprehensive population studies on common macaques. Providing the first detailed look at research on this underexplored species, it unveils what is currently known about the population of M. fascicularis, explores the contexts and consequences of human-macaque sympatry and discusses the innovative programs being initiated to resolve human-macaque conflict across Asia. Spread throughout the book are boxed case studies that supplement the chapters and give a valuable insight into specific field studies on wild M. fascicularis populations.

Explores the most recent findings in human reproductive ecology organised around four key themes: the impact of the environment on reproduction, the role of physical activity and energetics in regulating reproduction, sexual maturation and ovulation assessment and demographic, health and family planning issues.

Skeletonized human remains are often the only biological evidence for interpreting violent interactions in the past (by bioarchaeologists) and the present (by forensic anthropologists). Experts in bone analysis reveal how bone trauma is reconstructed. Case studies highlight methods for reading the bones and interpreting the violent encounters that took place.

Reflecting the enormous advances made in the field over the past twenty years, Larsen discusses newly emerging areas in bioarchaeology. Jargon free, richly illustrated, and with numerous case studies and references, this textbook will be a valuable source to undergraduates, graduates, and instructors interested in the fundamentals of bioarchaeology.

Reconstructing the paleobiology of fossil non-human primates, this book draws a detailed picture of ancient primate communities, including contemporary animals and plants. With information on how fossils are formed and their role in inferring evolutionary processes, it is a unique resource for undergraduate and graduate students interested in fossil primates.

This book is devoted to the study of children's skeletons from archaeological and forensic contexts. It outlines the methods used to age and sex their remains and covers issues such as infanticide, physical abuse, and diet and disease, and will be of interest to osteologists, palaeopathologists and those in forensic anthropology.

Computer simulations of evolutionary and genetic processes can help us understand more about the earliest origins of humankind. In this book, Ken Wessen shows graduate students and researchers in human evolution, genetics and biological anthropology how to unpick the complex interactions using novel simulation software, made available on an associated website.

This book presents a lucid description and evaluation of these studies of the genetic structure of human populations. A special feature is the appendix which presents computer-generated maps and distribution diagrams of 100 common surnames in England and Wales.

Challenging current theories of how modern humans emerged, this book argues for an early entry of humans into Australia. It explores how, why and when people migrated across the world in the Pleistocene, and what happened to the megafauna of Australia when they got there.

A comprehensive 2006 review of the health, demography and population genetics of Caribbean populations of African descent. It provides an evolutionary framework for understanding the epidemiology of diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, and the effects of infectious disease on the genetic make-up of these populations.

It is only comparatively recently in evolutionary terms that humans have developed late-life survival. Looking at anthropological, gerontological and biocultural evidence, Human Senescence is a text that explores why humans age only slowly over our lifespan, and what impacts this has on our health and lives today.

Growth, Maturation and Body Composition documents one of the most remarkable and significant studies in the field of human biology. The Fels Longitudinal Study is the longest, largest and most productive serial study of human growth, maturation and body composition.

This volume is the first to examine Latin American human populations in relation to their origins, environment, history, demography and genetics, drawing on aspects of nutrition, physiology and morphology for an integrated and multidisciplinary approach. The result is a fascinating account of a people characterized by a turbulent history, marked heterogeneity and unique genetic traits.

Migration and colonisation are major forces affecting the frequency and spread of genes in human populations. Looking at migration as a process, this book shows how a combination of simulation models and field studies can help us understand both human evolution in the past and its consequences for us today.

This volume provides a thought-provoking perspective on the empirical and analytic study of body form and composition. The techniques used for measuring body components such as fat, water, lean tissue, bone mass and bone density are evaluated against potential 'gold standards'.

There is intense debate over whether humans evolved from a single, African group of hominids (the 'Out of Africa' theory) or from several different populations from different regions. Here, Dr Lahr presents hard evidence for the 'Out of Africa' option, in a book which will be a must for all those interested in human evolution.

The metric variation of teeth in humans depends on genetic and environmental factors. Thus, besides imparting a sound knowledge of the theories of dental inheritance, development and evolution, this book has an important role in demonstrating to students the diverse practical applications of odontometrics. Useful tables describing tooth size in different populations are included.

Human Paleobiology explores the adaptability and variation in past and present human populations under a range of changing environmental conditions. Using a historical approach emphasising phenotypic features instead of complex taxonomy, it will be a stimulating and challenging read for all those interested in human paleobiology, evolutionary biology and anthropology.

Many aspects of human activity involve energy transfer of some type. This book considers various ways in which measurements of energy intake, expenditure and balance have been used to study human populations. It will be useful to teachers and students of human biology, anthropology and nutrition.

Primate Dentition is a comprehensive reference work on the teeth of extant primates that will serve as a benchmark for researchers in primatology, physical anthropology, comparative anatomy and vertebrate paleontology.

This book presents an overview of how and why human populations vary so markedly in their skin colour. The biological aspects of the pigment cell and its production of melanin are reviewed and the functions of melanin are considered. The social and biological interface of skin colour in society is also discussed.