What Does it Mean to be Human?This generously illustrated book tells the story of the human family, showing how our species' physical traits and behaviors evolved over millions of years as our ancestors adapted to dramatic environmental changes. In What Does It Means to Be Human? Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program, and Chris Sloan, National Geographic's paleoanthropolgy expert, delve into our distant past to explain when, why, and how we acquired the unique biological and cultural qualities that govern our most fundamental connections and interactions with other people and with the natural world. Drawing on the latest research, they conclude that we are the last survivors of a once-diverse family tree, and that our evolution was shaped by one of the most unstable eras in Earth's environmental history. The book presents a wealth of attractive new material especially developed for the Hall's displays, from life-like reconstructions of our ancestors sculpted by the acclaimed John Gurche to photographs from National Geographic and Smithsonian archives, along with informative graphics and illustrations. In coordination with the exhibit opening, the PBS program NOVA will present a related three-part television series, and the museum will launch a website expected to draw 40 million visitors. |
Contents
SMITHSONIAN | 6 |
BEING HUMAN BECOMING HUMAN | 19 |
THE HUMAN FAMILY TREE | 30 |
SURVIVAL OF THE ADAPTABLE | 44 |
THE BEGINNINGS OF HUMAN UNIQUENESS | 57 |
FAMILIES AND GROWING UP | 68 |
TOOLS AND FOOD | 80 |
HUMAN PROPORTIONS | 90 |
EVOLUTION OF OUR BRAIN | 100 |
THE ORIGIN OF OURSELVES | 115 |
THE ROOTS OF IMAGINATION | 126 |
ONE SPECIES WORLDWIDE | 138 |
THE TURNING POINT | 150 |
CONCLUSION ARE WE IT? | 160 |
171 | |