Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (EBSCO, viewed July 29, 2015).

Basics in Human Evolution offers a broad view of evolutionary biology and medicine. The book is written for a non-expert audience, providing accessible and convenient content that will appeal to numerous readers across the interdisciplinary field. From evolutionary theory, to the cultural evolution, this book fills gaps in the readers' knowledge from various backgrounds and introduces readers to thought leaders in human evolution research.

880-01 Front Cover; Basics in Human Evolution; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Contributors; Preface; Part I -- Positioning Human Evolution; Chapter 1 -- Basic Evolutionary Theory; SYNOPSIS; INTRODUCTION; THE ORIGIN OF GENETIC VARIATION; VARIATION WITHIN POPULATIONS; GENETIC DRIFT; NATURAL SELECTION; LEVELS OF SELECTION; SPECIATION; FROM MICROEVOLUTION TO MACROEVOLUTION; EVOLUTIONARY THEORY TODAY; REFERENCES; Chapter 2 -- Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design; SYNOPSIS; INTRODUCTION; A SCIENTIFIC CREATIONISM; INTELLIGENT DESIGN; CONCLUSIONS; REFERENCES; Part II -- Primates.

Chapter 3 -- Primate EvolutionSYNOPSIS; INTRODUCTION; EXTANT GROUPS OF PRIMATES; HIGHER-LEVEL RELATIONSHIPS; PRIMATES ON AN ASCENDING SCALE?; DEFINING FEATURES OF PRIMATES; FOSSIL PRIMATES; OVERALL EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS; REFERENCES; Chapter 4 -- Comparative Anatomy of Primates; SYNOPSIS; OSTEOLOGY; MYOLOGY; EXTERNAL FEATURES AND INTERNAL ORGANS; REFERENCES; Chapter 5 -- Primate Behavior; SYNOPSIS; SOCIAL ORGANIZATION, PREDATION, AND GROUP LIVING; SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS; DOMINANCE, LEVERAGE, AND POWER; THE "SOCIOECOLOGICAL MODEL."

SEXUAL CONFLICT AND "INTERSEXUAL MUTUALISM"COOPERATION; SOCIALITY AND FITNESS; REFERENCES; Chapter 6 -- Primate Models for Human Evolution; SYNOPSIS; MODELS OF HUMAN EVOLUTION; DENTITION AND DIET; LOCOMOTION; HABITAT OF OUR EARLIEST ANCESTORS; THE MACAQUE MODEL; FOSSILS AND LIVING PRIMATES; MAN THE HUNTED; REFERENCES; Part III -- Hominins; Chapter 7 -- Early Hominin Ecology; SYNOPSIS; THE EARLY HOMININ RECORD; MACRO PALEOENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT; RECONSTRUCTING TERRESTRIAL HABITATS; GEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE; INFERRING HOMININ HABITATS AND ADAPTATIONS; LATE PLIOCENE ADAPTIVE RADIATIONS.

EARLY POSSIBLE HOMININS' PLACE IN NATUREREFERENCES; Chapter 10 -- Australopithecines; SYNOPSIS; AUSTRALOPITHECUS; AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFARENSIS; AUSTRALOPITHECUS BAHRELGHAZALI; AUSTRALOPITHECUS ANAMENSIS; AUSTRALOPITHECUS GARHI; KENYANTHROPUS (AUSTRALOPITHECUS) PLATYOPS; AUSTRALOPITHECUS SEDIBA; AUSTRALOPITHECINE ADAPTATIONS; REFERENCES; Chapter 11 -- Early Pleistocene Homo; SYNOPSIS; DEFINING THE GENUS HOMO; HISTORY OF DISCOVERY OF EARLY HOMO FOSSILS; TAXONOMIC DIVERSITY IN THE GENUS HOMO; TAXONOMIC AND PHYLOGENETIC ISSUES: HOMO HABILIS AND HOMO RUDOLFENSIS.