Preface

To the Instructor
Contemporary biological anthropology is a dauntingly broad field. It studies humans in the same way that zoologists study their subject species—from a perspective that includes all aspects of the species’ biology and that emphasizes the interrelationships among those aspects. In addition to the traditional topics of the human fossil record and human biological variation, bioanthropology includes primatology, modern technologies in molecular genetics, human demography, disease and medical issues, development of the individual, life histories, and such applications as forensic anthropology. Bioanthropology also appreciates that our cultural behavior is an integral part of our behavior as a species.
No wonder, then, that I (and others I have spoken to) have had difficulty in covering the entire field in a one-semester course. We have ended up leaving out important aspects (or paying them little more than lip service), or we have sacrificed a sense of bioanthropology as an integrated whole to a rushed and encyclopedic inventory of all the field’s current topics.
As modern bioanthropology increased in breadth and complexity over the past several decades, so, too, did the size and detail of introductory texts. Several are now more than 600 pages long. To date, attempts to produce shorter introductory texts have consisted of simply cutting out parts of these existing tomes, resulting in rather uneven, sometimes oddly organized, presentations of the field.
I wrote this text in order to present a diverse scientific field to beginning students. Here are the major assumptions that guided my writing:
• Because this is a text for introductory courses, I have tried to reduce the field to its most basic information. No part of the discipline has been left out; instead I have achieved brevity by managing the amount of detail and including only the information necessary to clearly and accurately convey the basic themes, theories, methods, and facts of bioanthropology.
• The text assumes that students have limited background knowledge of the material and little understanding of what science is and how it works. The text explains rather than simply itemizes facts and ideas, and it does so, as much as possible, in a narrative format. A lesson from the study of folklore is that a story is far more easily understood and retained than is a list of facts.
• I want students to feel that they are reading a text written by a real person who has participated in the field. I have tried to achieve a balance between an informal style and formal style, and I have not shied away from the occasional colloquialism or personal comment.

FEATURES
I’ve included a number of features that I hope will make this text a more useful learning tool for students.
• I’ve used the scientific method as a theme throughout the book to demonstrate the integrity and nature of bioanthropology. I describe the scientific method and then, because this is anthropology, compare science to knowledge garnered from belief systems, discussing the relationship of these two spheres of inquiry and knowledge within cultures. I try to show specifically how scientific reasoning has provided us with the knowledge we have about the topics in bioanthropology. For example, I’ve presented extended discussions of bipedalism and the issue of modern human origins by posing questions, suggesting answers, and then testing the logic of and evidence for those answers.
• The text is organized to help students navigate their way through what is still a fairly hefty amount of information. To help students feel a little less at sea in the midst of new facts and ideas, I regularly refer back to previous topics and ahead to topics that will be covered. The headings I use as signposts are as descriptive as possible (for example, “Natural Selection: The Prime Mover of Evolution”).
• Within chapters, a consistent format helps students better understand material new to them. Each chapter starts with an introduction that sets the stage and context for what’s to come, which is followed by a series of questions that the chapter will answer. Because science proceeds by asking and answering questions, this format is also used within the body of the text. Important terms are in boldface and are defined in the margins at their first appearance. Each chapter concludes with a list of key terms and a summary that not only recaps the important points of the chapter but also provides some new ideas and thoughts that help put the chapter into context within the whole discipline. A list of suggested readings, made up mostly of nontechnical works, tells students where to find more information about the chapter topics.
•New to this edition are questions at the end of each chapter for students to ponder. These “Questions for Further Thought” are designed to help students explore the ramifications of the chapter topics in today’s world.
•Also new to this edition is an appendix with four brief exercises in Mendelian genetics, population genetics, taxonomy, and forensics that allow students to try their hands at applying some of the concepts set out in the text.
•Two glossaries, a bibliography, and a comprehensive index make information more accessible. A Glossary of Human and Nonhuman Primates, with a pronunciation guide, defines taxonomic names for taxa discussed in the text. In addition to the running glossary within chapters, a comprehensive Glossary of Terms appears at the back of the book. The Bibliography gives complete references for the suggested readings and also lists technical works referred to within the text. The Index helps students access information quickly.
•The text’s visual appeal enhances its readability. Detailed, colorful charts and drawings, as well as full-color photographs, underscore significant points in the text. Captions for the artwork add information rather than simply label the pictures.

NEW TO THIS EDITION
The book has been updated throughout and the discussions of many topics have been expanded and clarified. Highlights include the following:
• Chapter 3, “Evolutionary Genetics,” has an improved discussion of protein synthesis and concludes with a “Contemporary Reflection” on the decoding of the human genome.
• The distinction between phenetic and cladistic taxonomies is expanded and clarified in Chapter 7, “The Primates.”
•Chapter 9, “Studying the Human Past,” has an updated and expanded discussion of new genetic technologies used to compare and construct phylogenetic trees of the primates.
•Chapter 10, “Evolution of the Hominids,” is updated with the latest fossil finds to include Equatorius, Kenyanthropus platyops, and the still-controversial Orrorin tugenensis. The discussion of the evolution of bipedalism has been expanded to include additional hypotheses about this behavior’s adaptive function.
•The debate over modern human origins, the topic of Chapter 12, continues unabated. This chapter has been extensively rewritten to include data such as new Neandertal DNA and the hypothesized fossil hybrid from Portugal and to clarify the schools of thought in the debate and the evidence supporting and arguing against each.
•Chapter 13, “The Study of Living Peoples,” includes new technologies for comparing populations, such as the use of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs); new census data; new information on skin color variation; new research into the influence of viruses on human evolution; the latest information on HIV/AIDS; the latest data on “mad cow disease;” expanded discussion of influences on growth and development; new examples of life history studies; and updated information on the population crisis.
•Chapter 14, “Human Biological Diversity,” has an expanded discussion of genetic information on sexual differences and biodiversity; a clarified discussion of the scientific reasons for the nonexistence of biological races; and a new examination of claimed connections between race and athletic ability.
•Chapter 15, now called “Biological Anthropology and Today’s World,” has a new section on bioanthropology and global issues, which focuses on global warming and its many effects from the perspective of biological anthropology.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL
The Instructor’s Manual includes a test bank of about 500 multiple choice and short answer/essay questions, as well as chapter overviews, suggested activities, and lists of key terms.
A Computerized Test Bank is available free of charge to qualifying adopters. It is a powerful, easy-to-use test generation system that provides all test items on computer disk for IBM-compatible or Macintosh computers. Instructors can select, add, or edit questions, randomize them, and print tests appropriate to their individual classes.
There is a website (www.mhhe.com/bioanth3) that includes an online study guide and other interactive helps, downloadable illustrations, and Breaking News in Anthropology.

To the Reader
The broad field of biological, or physical, anthropology deals with everything from evolutionary theory to the human fossil record to the identification of human skeletal remains from crime scenes and accidents. A detailed account of this whole field would result in an unwieldy text that would be a tough assignment for a one-semester introductory course, especially if it were assigned in its entirety.
This text is intended to truly be an introduction to biological anthropology. It will tell you about the many different kinds of studies bioanthropologists participate in and how they conduct them; you’ll also learn about the scientific theories and data they use. All the important aspects of bioanthropology are covered here but with just the essential amount of detail. When you understand an idea from this book, then you should be able to delve more deeply into the subject if you are interested and you will have the basis for an even more profound understanding.
A major theme of this book is the scientific method. Biological anthropology is a science, so an understanding of how science works is essential. Because the field of anthropology studies the human species in its entirety, however, the text will examine science as a human endeavor, seeing where it fits in the realm of human knowledge.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Each chapter starts with an introduction that sets the stage and context for what’s to come, followed by a series of questions that the chapter will answer. Because science proceeds by asking and answering questions, this format is also used within the body of the text. Important terms are in boldface and are defined in the margins at their first appearance. Each chapter ends with a summary that not only recaps the important points of the chapter but also provides some new ideas and thoughts that help put what you have just learned into the context of the whole discipline of bioanthropology. There are also “Questions for Further Thought” that will help you explore some of the ramifications of the chapter’s topics to life in today’s world. A list of suggested readings, made up mostly of non-technical works, tells you where to find more information if you are interested in a particular topic.
A Glossary of Human and Nonhuman Primates defines taxonomic (scientific) names for species discussed in the text—names like Homo sapiens and Australopithecus afarensis—and tells you how to pronounce them. In addition to the running glossary within chapters, a comprehensive Glossary of Terms appears at the back of the book. The Bibliography gives complete references for the suggested readings and also lists technical works referred to within the text. The Index will help you more quickly access information.
For an online study guide and a Breaking News in Anthropology feature, see our Online Learning Center: www.mhhe.com/bioanth3.

2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
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