How Humans Evolved (Fifth Edition)

With its unique blend of evolutionary theory, population genetics and behavioral ecology, How Humans Evolved provides students with the most contemporary and complete introduction to physical anthropology available.

Robert Boyd and Joan B. Silk’s modern presentation of genetics and observable behaviors in living humans and non-human primates moves beyond merely describing anthropological finds to showing students the “big picture” ideas behind human evolution.

For the Fifth Edition, Boyd and Silk have updated the text to include the best of current research in the areas of genetics, behavior and the fossil record that conveys the excitement of anthropological discovery. This new coverage reflects strengthened coverage of molecular genetics and a streamlined presentation of primatology.

Robert Boyd has written widely on evolutionary theory, focusing especially on the evolution of cooperation and the role of culture in human evolution. His book Culture and the Evolutionary Process received the J. I. Staley Prize, and he has also published numerous articles in scientific journals and edited volumes. Boyd is currently the Origins Professor in the School of Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University.

Joan B. Silk has conducted extensive research on the social lives of monkeys and apes, including extended fieldwork on chimpanzees at Gombe Stream Reserve in Tanzania and on baboons in Kenya and Botswana. She is also interested in the application of evolutionary thinking to human behavior. She has published numerous articles in scientific journals and edited volumes. She is currently a professor in the School of Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University.