1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910791322103321

Autore

Gurche John

Titolo

Shaping humanity : how science, art, and imagination help us understand our origins / / John Gurche ; designed by James Johnson

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New Haven, Connecticut ; ; London : , : Yale University Press, , 2013

©2013

ISBN

0-300-18533-2

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (364 p.)

Altri autori (Persone)

JohnsonJames

Disciplina

569.9

Soggetti

Fossil hominids

Human beings - Origin

Human evolution

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Prologue -- Chapter 1. Beginnings: Sahelanthropus tchadensis (6 to 7 million years ago) -- Chapter 2. Walkers and Climbers: Australopithecus afarensis (3.6 to 2.9 million years ago) -- Chapter 3. The Impossible Discovery: Australopithecus africanus (3.3 to 2.1 million years ago) -- Chapter 4. The Paradoxical Specialist: Paranthropus boisei (2.3 to 1.0 million years ago) -- Interlude: Transitional Hominins and the Origin of Homo -- Chapter 5. The Traveler: Homo erectus (1.8 to 0.1 million years ago) -- Chapter 6. A Symbolic Animal: Homo heidelbergensis (0.7 to 0.2 million years ago) -- Chapter 7. The Other: Homo neanderthalensis (0.25 to 0.027 million years ago) -- Chapter 8. The Unlikely Survivor: Homo floresiensis (0.095 to 0.017 million years ago) -- Chapter 9. Linked: Homo sapiens (0.2 million years ago-?) -- Chapter 10. Endings -- Notes -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

What did earlier humans really look like? What was life like for them, millions of years ago? How do we know? In this book, internationally renowned paleoartist John Gurche describes the extraordinary process by which he creates forensically accurate and hauntingly realistic representations of our ancient human ancestors. Inspired by a lifelong fascination with all things prehistoric, and gifted with a unique artistic



vision, Gurche has studied fossil remains, comparative ape and human anatomy, and forensic reconstruction for over three decades. His artworks appear in world-class museums and publications ranging from National Geographic to the journal Science, and he is widely known for his contributions to Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park and a number of acclaimed television specials. For the Smithsonian Institution's groundbreaking David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins, opened in 2010, Gurche created fifteen sculptures representing six million years of human history. In Shaping Humanity he relates how he worked with a team of scientists to depict human evolution in sculpture for the new hall. He reveals the debates and brainstorming that surround these often controversial depictions, and along the way he enriches our awareness of the various paths of human evolution and humanity's stunning uniqueness in the history of life on Earth.