Overview

The Bone Readers are a dedicated group of scholars who study the earliest human remains, their chemistry and DNA, their extinct floral and faunal contemporaries, and the geologic layers in which they were found. Their research leads them to theories about modern human origins that continually challenge conventional wisdom and cherished beliefs— about “Eve ,” Neanderthals, “hobbits,” and the Bering Straits, among others. Two leading Bone Readers and a science writer have penned a literate, authoritative summary of the current questions and the minefield of academic politics that surround it. Ideal for students in human origins or biological anthropology courses, and a delightful read.

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9781598744750

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An easy-reading and illuminating account of recent developments in the area of paleoanthropology lying exactly at the intersection of science and politics. -- Ian Tattersall, author of The Fossil Trail: How We Know What We Think We Know About Human Evolution Anyone interested in understanding extinctions in Australia, and comparing them with human caused extinctions elsewhere, will not want to miss this stimulating book! -- Paul Martin, University of Arizona emeritus, and author of Twilight of the Mammoths This excellent book not only clearly presents the science behind research on human origins, but also the personalities and the politics. -Professor Chris Stringer FRS, The Natural History Museum, London Full of intrigue, deceit and astonishing discoveries, The Bone Readers is the most thrilling account of human evolution and those who study it yet penned. It's destined to become a classic. -- Professor Tim Flannery, environmentalist, author, and 2007 Australian of the Year This excellent book not only clearly presents the science behind research on human origins, but also the personalities and the politics. Professor Chris Stringer FRS, The Natural History Museum, London Bone Readers provides a clear and accessible account of the interweaving of science and politics in human origins research in Australia Science is not a completely social construct, but it does not take place in a sociopolitical vacuum, either. Bone Readers makes excellent supplementary reading to a main textbook for an upper-level undergraduate course in archaeology or human evolution. Furthermore, to anyone interested in the various threads that make the tapestry of human origins research, Bone Readers provides much food for thought. --Sang-Hee Lee, Journal of Anthropological Research

<p> Bone Readers provides a clear and accessible account of the interweaving of science and politics in human origins research in Australia...Science is not a completely social construct, but it does not take place in a sociopolitical vacuum, either. Bone Readers makes excellent supplementary reading to a main textbook for an upper-level undergraduate course in archaeology or human evolution. Furthermore, to anyone interested in the various threads that make the tapestry of human origins research, Bone Readers provides much food for thought. --Sang-Hee Lee, Journal of Anthropological Research

Author Information

Claudio Tuniz is a world-renowned expert in geochronology using particle accelerators. He is Assistant Director of UNESCO's International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, where he promotes the use of atomic and nuclear physics in palaeoanthropology. He was director of the accelerator dating center at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization and has published widely on Australian prehistory. Richard Gillespie built a radiocarbon laboratory at the University of Sydney before taking up research positions at Oxford University, the University of Arizona and the Australian National University. He is an authority on dating bones and shells, with wide fieldwork experience in Africa, North America and Australia. Cheryl Jones is a science journalist who for many years has covered developments in Australian prehistory for international and Australian media, including The Australian Financial Review, The Canberra Times and The Bulletin.

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