Human Biological Diversity (2^nd Ed.)

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 physical anthropology.

Easily accessible for students with no background in anthropology or biology, this second edition includes two new chapters, one on human variation in the skeleton and dentition and the other on tracing human population affinities. All other chapters have been fully updated to reflect advances in the field and now 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 on 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.

1. Introduction 2. Background: Concepts of Evaluation and Genetics 3. Molecular Genetics, Genomics, and Human Genetics 4. Macroevolution and Taxonomy 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. Human Biology in the Modern World 15. Human Biological Variation: A Look to the Future and Some Final Thoughts on Ethics

Daniel E. Brown is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Hawai'i Hilo, USA.