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. |
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