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The Scars of Evolution/What Our Bodies Tell Us about Human Origins by Elaine Mor
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Located in: Melbourne, Australia
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eBay item number:145677348669
Item specifics
- Condition
- New: A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item. See the seller's listing for full details. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
- Format
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN-13
- 9780195094312
- Type
- Does not apply
- Book Title
- The Scars of Evolution/What Our Bodies Tell Us about Human Origin
- UPC
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About this product
Product Information
When Elaine Morgan wrote The Descent of Woman in 1972, it sent shock waves around the world, and is w widely regarded as a key work on human evolution, and essential to any discussion of women's place in society. Now, with The Scars of Evolution, Morgan offers a pioneering look just where it was our earliest ancestors came from, and the legacy--t always advantageous--that they left us. As she sets out to solve one of the enduring riddles of our origins--to discover the evolutionary path that separated us from the rest of the animals--Morgan shows that many of the theories currently accepted by scientists cant explain our unique features: they leave too many questions unanswered.Millions of years ago, something happened to our ape ancestors that did t happen to the forebears of gorillas and chimpanzees, something that made them walk on two legs, lose their fur, sweat, develop larger brains, and learn to speak. While scientists have visited many a dig and studied many a fossil for clues, Elaine Morgan argues that all of the facts about our mysterious origins are right in front of us--in the form of fundamental flaws in the human design. Our propensity to suffer from lower back pain, obesity, varicose veins, acne, even infant death syndrome, is essentially the result of a cataclysmic event in our distant past.Scientists have long observed that our spines were t made for upright walking. Yet natural selection--the basic tenet of evolutionary theory--dictates that enduring changes to a species occur because of the need to adapt to changes in the environment. While thousands of working hours are lost each year to bad backs, at some point long ago it must have been an advantage to walk on two legs. The most common theory is that we became bipedal while hunting on the African savannah, needing our arms free for weapons, using an upright stance to see enemies from afar. But as Morgan points out, animals need more speed on the savannah, both for pursuit and flight, than two legs can offer. Her explanation: bipedalism emerged from life in an aquatic environment due to the flooding of the African rift valley millennia ago. The apes that suddenly found themselves stranded in swamp land (a swamp that remained for thousands of years) had to walk upright to keep from drowning. The human tendency toward obesity was once t an unsightly health problem, but rather a lifesaving form of insulation, one present in all aquatic mammals. And as Morgan carefully considers all of our other uniquely human traits--our relative hairlessness, our ability to control our breathing, our inability to maintain proper salt levels--a compelling case emerges for our human origins in a watery environment.Lively, controversial, and presented with a brilliant logic, The Scars of Evolution will change the way you think about the world--and our place in it.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Oxford University Press AU
ISBN-10
019509431x
ISBN-13
9780195094312
eBay Product ID (ePID)
96294277
Dimensions
Weight
272g
Height
217mm
Width
140mm
Additional Product Features
Place of Publication
Melbourne
Spine
13mm
Content Note
Black & White Illustrations
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Date of Publication
01/01/1994
Subject
Life Sciences: General
Edition Statement
Reprinted Edition
Imprint
Oup AU and New Zealand
Genre
Life Sciences: General
Country of Publication
AU
Item description from the seller
Business seller information
Value Added Tax Number:
- AU 82107909133
- GB 293967539
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eBay item number:145677348669
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w***l (424)- Feedback left by buyer.
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Great purchase! Thanks so much!
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Fast delivery- thank you
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Book although new was of poor quality and certainly not good value for money.