50 Great Myths of Human Evolution: Understanding Misconceptions about Our Origins

Where do we come from? How are we related to other creatures? What is uniquely human? Are we still evolving?

50 Great Myths of Human Evolution explores common myths and misconceptions surrounding the story of human evolution. It examines intriguing yet widely misunderstood topics from evolution and human origins to the evolution of modern humans, to recent trends in the field dispelling myths along the way such as: Natural selection always works; Australopithecus was a killer ape; Neandertals walked bent over and were dumb brutes; Civilization has been influenced by extraterrestrials, and, We can predict the future of human evolution.

50 lively and engaging essays provide the perfect introduction for the inquisitive reader and for students studying the field. Each myth succinctly summarizes the topic and reviews the current state of theory and research in the area. Footnotes and references are also provided throughout to allow for further research into topics of particular interest. Together, these short writings uncover what fossils, archeology, and genetics can tell us about human origins and demonstrate the ways in which science adapts and changes over time to incorporate new evidence and better explanations.

A compendium of the most up–to–date and fascinating information in human evolution, this guide also equips readers with the skills to question and critically evaluate the field as it changes in the future.

John H. Relethford is Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the State University of New York College at Oneonta, USA, where he has taught since 1981. He is a biological anthropologist specializing in human population genetics, human variation, and the evolution of modern humans. He is a former President and Vice–President of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, former Vice President and President of the American Association of Anthropological Genetics, and a Fellow and Former Chair of Section H (Anthropology) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has over 170 publications, including several books, over 80 peer–reviewed journal articles, and over 25 book chapters. Most recently, he is the author of The Human Species: An Introduction to Biological Anthropology (9th edition, 2013), Human Population Genetics (Wiley–Blackwell, 2012), and co–author of Human Biological Variation (2nd edition, 2011).