Overview

"A major debate in anthropology concerns the relationship betweenanatomically modern humans and earlier ""archaic"" humans includingthe Neandertals. What was the origin of modern humans? Did we ariseas a new species in Africa 200,000 years ago and then replacearchaic human populations outside of Africa, or are our originspart of a single evolving lineage extending back over the past twomillion years? In addition to fossil and archaeological evidence,anthropologists have increasingly turned to using genetic data onliving populations to address this question. Patterns of geneticvariation within and between living human populations are felt tocontain clues as to our species' evolutionary history, and providea reflection of the past. This book reviews the modern human origins debate focusing on thegenetic evidence relating to our origins, including geneticvariation in living humans and recent discoveries of ancient DNAfrom fossil specimens. Following a brief introduction to theproblem and a review of evolutionary genetics, the book focuses ongene trees and the search for a common ancestor, genetic diversitywithin populations, genetic distances between populations, the useof genetic data to reconstruct ancient demography, and NeandertalDNA. The main point of the text is that although the genetic dataare often compatible with a replacement model, they are alsocompatible with some multiregional models. The concluding chaptermakes the case that modern human origins are mostly, but notexclusively, out of Africa."

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9780471384137

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Reviews

This textbook provides a good introduction to the field of humanpopulations genetics for people lacking a genetics background.... Ihope that his book will ultimately encourage more students to enterthis exciting field. (Trends in Genetics, Vol. 17, No. 9,September 2001) ...controversies...grounded in a solid college-level introductionto how the genetic code and evolution account for geneticdiversity. (SciTech Book News, Vol. 25, No. 3, September2001) I found Relethford s discussion of the recent Neanderthalmitochondrial DNA findings to be the most cogent explanation I haveread to date.... I recommend his book to anyone interested inmodern human origins. (Linda Wolfe, Anthropology News) Relethford writes...in a lucid and engaging manner. Hedispassionately examines the major controversies surrounding modernhuman origins and clearly identifies the ways in which the geneticdata impinge on the predictions of the explanatory models....[T]hisbook will appeal to the general science reader, as well as beingsuitable for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses inBiological Anthropology. (American Journal of Human Biology) ...lucid and engaging...enjoyable to read...will appeal to thegeneral science reader...suitable for upper-level undergraduate andgraduate courses... (American Journal of Human Biology, Vol. 14,No. 4, July/August 2002) ...an accessible guide through the models and the data...will be apopular recommended text... (Heredity)The modern human origins debate is finally illuminated with thefirst clear and understandable discussion of the genetic argumentson both sides. Relethford is a key player in this debate, and hebrings to it a sorely needed perspective, placing the excitinglaboratory results in the theoretical frame that explains them, anddoing it in manner that the rest of us can grasp. It's goodwriting, because it's good thinking, and Relethford is to becongratulated for his efforts in clarifying and explaining thecomplex issues that underlie the conflict between Multiregionalevolution and the Eve Theory.--Milford H. Wolpoff,Paleoanthropology Laboratory, Department of Anthropology,University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan [The author] has presented a deeply thoughtful and provocativeassessment of our understanding of modern human origins. I think ittakes the whole debate forward by a quantum leap. --RosalindHarding, University of Oxford

This textbook provides a good introduction to the field of human populations genetics for people lacking a genetics background... (Trends in Genetics, Vol. 17, No. 9, September 2001) ...controversies...grounded in a solid college-level introduction to how the genetic code and evolution account for genetic diversity. (SciTech Book News, Vol. 25, No. 3, September 2001) ...lucid and engaging...enjoyable to read...will appeal to the general science reader...suitable for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses... (American Journal of Human Biology, Vol. 14, No. 4, July/August 2002) ...an accessible guide through the models and the data...will be a popular recommended text... (Heredity)

Author Information

Dr. Relethford completed his BA, MA, and Ph.D. degrees in anthropology at the State University of New York at Albany. He worked as a postdoctoral research scientist at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio before joining the faculty at the State University of New York at Oneonta. He is currently Distinguished Teaching Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at SUNY-Oneonta, and is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has published numerous articles on human population genetics, human biological diversity, and modern human origins, and is the author of an introductory textbook in biological anthropology, The Human Species, 4th Edition.

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