This is the first volume to address directly the question of the speciation of modern Homo sapiens. The subject raises profound questions about the nature of the species, our defining characteristic (it is suggested it is language), and the brain changes and their genetic basis that make us distinct. The British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences have brought together experts from palaeontology, archaeology, linguistics, psychology, genetics and evolutionary theory to present evidence and theories at the cutting edge of our understanding of these issues.
Palaeontological and genetic work suggests that the transition from a precursor hominid species to modern man took place between 100,000 and 150,000 years ago. Some contributors discuss what is most characteristic of the species, focussing on language and its possible basis in brain lateralization. This work is placed in the context of speciation theory, which has remained a subject of considerable debate since the evolutionary synthesis of Mendelian genetics and Darwinian theory. The timing of specific transitions in hominid evolution is discussed, as also is the question of the neural basis of language. Other contributors address the possible genetic nature of the transition, with reference to changes on the X and Y chromosomes that may account for sex differences in lateralization and verbal ability. These differences are discussed in terms of the theory of sexual selection, and with reference to the mechanisms of speciation.
These essays will be vital reading for anyone interested in the nature and origins of the species, and specifically human abilities.
Edited by:
T. J. Crow ( Warneford Hospital Oxford)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Volume: 106
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 411g
ISBN: 9780197263112
ISBN 10: 0197263119
Series: Proceedings of the British Academy
Pages: 346
Publication Date: 01 April 2004
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
THE ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES Chris Stringer: The Out-of-Africa Hypothesis of Modern Human Origins Paul Mellars: The Earliest Evidence of Cognitive Ability Ian Tattersall: The Case for Saltational Events in Human Evolution Mark Collard: Grades and Transitions in Human Evolution LANGUAGE AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE BRAIN Derek Bickerton: From Proto-language to Language Detlev Ploog: Is the Neural Basis of Vocalisation Different in Non-Human Primates and Homo Sapiens? Michael Corballis: Laterality and Human Speciation James Steele: When did Directional ssymmetry Enter the Record? Norman D. Cook: Bihemispheric Language: How the Two Hemispheres Collaborate in the Processing of Language THE SEARCH FOR A CRITICAL EVENT T. J. Crow: Sexual Selection, Timing, and the X-Y Homologous Gene: Did Homo Sapiens Speciate on the Y Chromosome? Chris Tyler-Smith: What the Y chromosome can tell us about the origins of modern humans Caroline Sargent, Patricia Blanco and Nabeel Affara: Do the Hominid-Specific Regions of X-Y Homology Contain Candidate Genes Potentially Involved in a Critical Event Linked to Speciation? Klaus Reinhold: Preferential Sex Linkage of Sexually Selected Genes: Evidence and a New Explanation
Reviews for The Speciation of Modern Homo Sapiens
How did modern Homo sapiens originate and how do we differ from our closest relatives, living and extinct? This volume addresses these questions by bringing together contributions from 15 scientists in fields as diverse as human paleontologylinguisticshuman genetics, and evolutionary theory * New Biology Books. *
