Books in the Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology series

Uniting contributions from international experts, this first ever volume on the Cheirogaleidae family reviews their behaviour, physiology, ecology, genetics and biogeography in one comprehensive volume. Featuring previously unpublished research, this unique book will encourage further exploration of the dwarf and mouse lemurs of Madagascar.

Timely analysis of medical and evolutionary data to address the role body fat has played in human biology, including in the current obesity epidemic. Obesity researchers from human biologists and anthropologists to health professionals will benefit from this comprehensive evolutionary approach to examining human body composition.

Explores the most recent findings in human reproductive ecology organised around four key themes: the impact of the environment on reproduction, the role of physical activity and energetics in regulating reproduction, sexual maturation and ovulation assessment and demographic, health and family planning issues.

Consanguinity in Context will appeal to a wide readership, from clinicians and geneticists to anthropologists and social scientists. Written in an approachable manner, with excellent illustrations and relevant background information, this book is the essential guide to the controversial medical and social issue of intra-familial marriage.

Blurton Jones interweaves data from ecology, demography and evolutionary ecology to present a comprehensive analysis of the Hadza tribe. Discussion centres on expansion of the adaptationist perspective beyond topics customarily studied in human behavioural ecology, to interpret a wider range of anthropological concepts.

Skeletonized human remains are often the only biological evidence for interpreting violent interactions in the past (by bioarchaeologists) and the present (by forensic anthropologists). Experts in bone analysis reveal how bone trauma is reconstructed. Case studies highlight methods for reading the bones and interpreting the violent encounters that took place.

For decades anthropologists and other scientists have participated in 'post-mortem dissections' of the lives of historical figures, identifying and analyzing bodies. Presenting relevant case studies, this book examines the role of the anthropologist in the writing of histories about the famous and infamous dead and how those histories reflect contemporary social interests.

A novel synthesis of information relating to the biology, function and evolution of the human pelvis, which is crucial for both locomotion and childbirth. It collates evidence concerning comparative anatomy, clinical and experimental studies, and quantitative evolutionary models, and provides an assessment of existing paradigms of pelvic evolution.

Taking a critical perspective to the field, this book challenges how evidence in biological anthropology is discovered, collected and interpreted. It encourages researchers and students in anthropology and related disciplines to de-familiarize themselves from well-known methods and develop novel, multidisciplinary approaches.

This volume provides a thought-provoking perspective on the empirical and analytic study of body form and composition. The techniques used for measuring body components such as fat, water, lean tissue, bone mass and bone density are evaluated against potential 'gold standards'.

By studying dental and skeletal remains, much can be learnt about how humans lived and grew in the past. This interdisciplinary volume, first published in 1999, places methodological issues of growth and development within a strong theoretical framework. It will be essential reading for biological and physical anthropologists.

'Normal' reproductive cycles are extremely variable both between women and for any given individual. This book discusses some of the factors which affect fertility such as diet, physical activity, stress and breastfeeding, and examines the implications of this for individuals and societies.

This book is about the social life of monkeys, apes and humans.

Human Paleobiology explores the adaptability and variation in past and present human populations under a range of changing environmental conditions. Using a historical approach emphasising phenotypic features instead of complex taxonomy, it will be a stimulating and challenging read for all those interested in human paleobiology, evolutionary biology and anthropology.

This book is about doing research rather than about results. It discusses obstacles encountered and strategies for success in fieldwork and survey research in biological anthropology. Such accounts can supplement what one learns from teachers and fellow students.

This volume presents the findings of a selection of pioneering research studies in which new molecular techniques have been used to address key questions in biological anthropology, for example about the human genetic system, the geographical movements of human populations in the past, and primate evolution.

Comparative Primate Socioecology is an exciting new book drawing together recent and controversial findings from field research on a wide variety of primate species including lemurs and humans. It creates a new synthesis and provides methodologies for all those interested in human and non-human primate behaviour and evolution.

There is intense debate over whether humans evolved from a single, African group of hominids (the 'Out of Africa' theory) or from several different populations from different regions. Here, Dr Lahr presents hard evidence for the 'Out of Africa' option, in a book which will be a must for all those interested in human evolution.

In this book, the 'field' is not an exotic locale but the sometimes dusty back rooms of libraries, archives and museums. These largely untapped resources however reveal how the study of human biology through historical documents can expand the horizons of anthropological research.

This book is about doing research rather than about results. It discusses obstacles encountered and strategies for success in fieldwork and survey research in biological anthropology. Such accounts can supplement what one learns from teachers and fellow students.

Through a historical perspective on the long-studied Arashiyama population of Japanese macaques, this book reviews the range of current primatological research topics, including life history, sexual, social and cultural behaviour and ecology. It highlights the historic value of the Arashiyama group and illustrates its continuing importance with significant new research.

Despite being our closest evolutionary relatives most non human primate species now face an uncertain future. Primates Face to Face examines the diverse and fascinating range of relationships between humans and other primates, and how this plays a critical role in their conservation.

The transition from an active hunter-gatherer lifestyle to that of a 'modern' urbanzsed lifestyle brings with it many consequences for health and fitness. In this volume, this transition is examined in circumpolar populations, where change has been rapid and extensive in the last thirty years.

Anthropometry is the measurement of human morphology, and can be used in a variety of contexts including paediatrics, orthopaedics, nutrition, physiology and anthropology. The book describes many of the ways in which anthropometry is used and discusses problems associated with such measurements.

This book provides an overview of the concepts and methods needed to understand the genetic basis of biological traits, including disease, in humans. It will appeal to many biologists and biological anthropologists interested in this field, as well as to epidemiologists, biomedical scientists, human geneticists and molecular biologists.

Seasonal variability in food abundance affects what primates eat, how they search for food, how and when they are active, and as a consequence, their body size, social life and reproductive timing. This book examines how seasonality might have also affected human evolution particularly in the transition to the savannah.

Most animals are capable of altering their biology or behaviour to respond plastically to changes in their environment. Humans are perhaps the most plastic of all species, and this book examines how human variability is affected by such factors as starvation, disease, child growth and migration.

Somatotyping is a method of description and assessment of the body on three shape and composition scales: endomorphy (relative fatness), mesomorphy (relative musculoskeletal robustness), and ectomorphy (relative linearity). This book presents a comprehensive history of somatotyping.

Primate Dentition is a comprehensive reference work on the teeth of extant primates that will serve as a benchmark for researchers in primatology, physical anthropology, comparative anatomy and vertebrate paleontology.

The assembled chapters in this book explore approaches that allow a biocultural identity to be discovered. They also explore approaches that allow the detection of human lifestyle and living conditions, and the meaning of biological information from human remains provides for the understanding of a cultural setting.