Human Biological Diversity is an introductory textbook designed to cover the key contemporary topics in the study of human variation and human biology within the field of biological anthropology. Easily accessible for students with no background in anthropology or biology, this third edition includes a new chapter focused on resource utilization, and updated discussions of genetics, genomics, climate change, environment, biological stressors, and human adaptation. All other chapters have been fully updated to reflect advances in the field and include pedagogical features to aid readers in their understanding.
Written for an introductory level but still containing valuable information that will be of interest to students in upper-level courses, Brown’s textbook should be essential reading for all students taking courses on human variation, human biology, human evolution, race, anthropology of race, and general introductions to biological/physical anthropology.
Table of Contents:
Preface to the Third Edition
1. Introduction
2. Background: Concepts of Evolution and Genetics
3. Molecular Genetics, Genomics and Human Genetics
4. Macroevolution, Taxonomy, and a Brief Look at the Human Fossil Record
5. Race and Human Variation
6. Human Biological Variation in the Skeleton and Dentition: A Window on the Past
7. Genotypic Traits
8. Tracing Human Population Affinities and Migrations
9. Demography: Populations, Reproduction, and Mortality
10. Life Span: Growth and Development
11. Life Span: Aging and Senescence
12. Human Adaptability to Physical Stressors
13. Human Adaptability to Biological Stressors
14. Obtaining Resources
15. Human Biology in the Modern World
16. Human Biological Variation: Ideas of Normality A Look to the Future, and Some Final Thoughts on Ethics
About the Author :
Daniel E. Brown is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Hawai'i Hilo, USA. He is a Fellow of the Human Biology Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is a former President of the Human Biology Association.
