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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Human biology & related topics
This monumental volume in the History of Civilization Series has done a great service to learning in giving a very good outline of the earliest civilization of Europe. It covers the Orient, Crete, the Aegean, Maritime Civilization, Greece, the Balkans, the Danube, Eurasia, Northern Cultures, Forest Cultures, Islands of the Western Mediterranean, Iberia, Alpine Culture, and the British Isles.
Much of what we are comes from our ancestors. Through cultural and
biological inheritance mechanisms, our genetic composition,
instructions for constructing artifacts, the structure and content
of languages, and rules for behavior are passed from parents to
children and from individual to individual. "Mapping Our Ancestors"
demonstrates how various genealogical or "phylogenetic" methods can
be used both to answer questions about human history and to build
evolutionary explanations for the shape of history.
The view "It's all in our genes and we cannot change it" developed in the past 150 years since Gregor Mendel's experiments with flowering pea plants. However, there is a special form of genetics, referred to as epigenetics, which does not involve any change of our genes but regulates how and when they are used. In the cell nucleus our genes are packed into chromatin, which is a complex of histone proteins and genomic DNA, representing the molecular basis of epigenetics. Our environment and lifestyle decisions influence the epigenetics of our cells and organs, i.e. epigenetics changes dynamically throughout our whole life. Thus, we have the chance to change our epigenetics in a positive as well as negative way and present the onset of diseases, such a type 2 diabetes or cancer. This textbook provides a molecular explanation how our genome is connected with environmental signals. It outlines that epigenetic programming is a learning process that results in epigenetic memory in each of the cells of our body. The central importance of epigenetics during embryogenesis and cellular differentiation as well as in the process of aging and the risk for the development of cancer are discussed. Moreover, the role of the epigenome as a molecular storage of cellular events not only in the brain but also in metabolic organs and in the immune system is described. The book represents an updated but simplified version of our textbook "Human Epigenomics" (ISBN 978-981-10-7614-8). The first five chapters explain the molecular basis of epigenetics, while the following seven chapters provide examples for the impact of epigenetics in human health and disease.
The Valley Bisa people inhabit the Luangwa Valley in central
Zambia. Among them, the hunter, who tracks such large game as the
lion, elephant, and buffalo, commands great respect and esteem from
the other members of the lineage who traditionally rely on him for
their subsistence and protection. Although the social organization
and technology of the Bisa people have undergone tremendous change
in the last one hundred years, the role of hunter retains its
social importance, and the legitimizing hunting rituals have their
roots in local history.
Questions of public and private morality, values and choices have become important areas of collective discussion. A key feature of this book is that it takes an ethnographic rather than a philosophical or speculative approach to moral debates. This study examines the contemporary explosion of ethical discourse in the public domain and the growing importance of moral rhetoric as an aspect of social relations.
Much of what we are comes from our ancestors. Through cultural and
biological inheritance mechanisms, our genetic composition,
instructions for constructing artifacts, the structure and content
of languages, and rules for behavior are passed from parents to
children and from individual to individual. "Mapping Our Ancestors"
demonstrates how various genealogical or "phylogenetic" methods can
be used both to answer questions about human history and to build
evolutionary explanations for the shape of history.
INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY brings the study of physical anthropology to life! With a focus on the big picture of human evolution, the 15th Edition helps you master the basic principles of the subject and arrive at an understanding of the human species and its place in the biological world. Each chapter begins with new Student Learning Objectives and a chapter outline to help you focus your study time. Each chapter then ends with an expanded section of "How Do We Know?", followed by a critical thinking question, designed to help cement your understanding of the concepts.
Ethnic Violence and the Societal Security Dilemma explores how the phenomenon of ethnic violence can be understood as a form of security dilemma by shifting the focus of the concept away from its traditional concern with state sovereignty to that of identity instead. The book is divided into theoretical and empirical chapters, beginning with the categorisation by the author of the security dilemma concept into 'tight', 'regular' and 'loose' formulations, and its combination with the Copenhagen School's notion of societal security. This reconceptualisation of the traditional security dilemma then provides a framework capable of explaining conflictual dynamics between ethnic groups and how some cases can be resolved without recourse to outright war. It includes case studies on: Ethnic violence between Serbs and Croats in the Krajina region of Croatia, August 1990 Ethnic violence between Hungarian and Romanians in the Transylvania region of Romania, August 1990. This book will interest students and researchers of ethnic violence and the security dilemma.
A journey to Alaska's remote roadless villages, during a time of great historical transition, brings us this enduring portrait of a place and its people. Alutiiq, Yup'ik, Inupiaq, and Athabascan subjects reveal themselves as entirely contemporary individuals with deep longings and connection to the land and to their past. Tom Kizzia's account of his travels off the Alaska road system, first published in 1991, has endured with a sterling reputation for its thoughtful, poetic, unflinching engagement with the complexity of Alaska's rural communities. Wake of the Unseen Object is now considered some of the finest nonfiction writing about Alaska. This new edition includes an updated introduction by the author, looking at what remains the same after thirty years and what is different-both in Alaska, and in the expectations placed on a reporter visiting from another world.
Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring Physiology is the science of life, and sets out to understand how living things work and what makes them distinct from the non-living. It considers how our bodies are supplied with energy, how they maintain their internal parameters, the ways in which we gather and process information, the ways we take action, and the creation of new generations. This Very Short Introduction explores the field of human physiology, considering how the body works, senses, reacts, and defends itself. As Jamie A. Davies shows, human life (and indeed, all life) is sustained by the interplay of a wide variety of physiological mechanisms and principles. He discusses the physiological experiments and research undertaken to understand these processes, and analyses the ethical issues involved. He also considers the evolution of the scientific field itself, showing how enhanced understandings of physiological knowledge can help inform medical research and care. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
The spectacular advances of medicinal chemistry in the last few decades have been triggered by a greater understanding of cellular processes at the molecular level. The understanding of biochemical processes and diseases at molecular level has revolutionized the field. This volume summarizes recent developments in the area of biological inhibitors such as squalene epoxidase inhibitors, dual inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase and cycloxgenase, inhibition of cholestrol biosynthesis, HIV proteinase inhibitors, nonpeptide antagonists at peptide receptors, and binding interaction of thyroid hormones.
Probationary Americans examines contemporary immigration rules and how they affect the make-up of immigrant communities. The authors' key argument is that immigration policies place race and class as important criteria for gaining entry to the United States, and in doing so, alter the makeup of America's immigrant communities.
While 'social inclusion' and 'cultural diversity' circulate frenetically as buzzwords, are we really ready to accept that ideas about 'race' and 'ethnicity', rather than being a peripheral concern, are at the core of how a nation's heritage is represented and imagined? This book interrogates just whose past gets to count as part of 'British heritage'. Bringing together a wide range of contributors, including academics, practitioners, policy makers and curators, it examines how many different of types of heritage - from football to stately homes, experience attractions to education - deal with the complex legacies of the idea of 'race'. Whether exploring the fallout of colonialism, the domination of 'England' over the other three nations, holocaust memorials, or the way British heritage is negotiated overseas, a recurring theme of this book is the need to accept that Britain has always been a place of shifting ethnicities, shaped by waves of migration, diaspora and globalization. Analyzing both theory and practice, this book is concerned with understanding the processes through which changes to heritage happens, and with exploring problems and possibilities for the future.
In 1884 a community of Brazilians was "discovered" by the Western world. The Ecology of Power examines these indigenous people from the Upper Xingu region, a group who even today are one of the strongest examples of long-term cultural continuity. Drawing upon written and oral history, ethnography, and archaeology, Heckenberger addresses the difficult issues facing anthropologists today as they "uncover" the muted voices of indigenous peoples and provides a fascinating portrait of a unique community of people who have in a way become living cultural artifacts.
In 1884 a community of Brazilians was "discovered" by the Western world. The Ecology of Power examines these indigenous people from the Upper Xingu region, a group who even today are one of the strongest examples of long-term cultural continuity. Drawing upon written and oral history, ethnography, and archaeology, Heckenberger addresses the difficult issues facing anthropologists today as they "uncover" the muted voices of indigenous peoples and provides a fascinating portrait of a unique community of people who have in a way become living cultural artifacts.
The Muslim states that have come into being from the ruins of the
Soviet Union, and the Muslim areas of Russia, are striving to carve
out a future for themselves in the face of new realities. In
addition to international constraints, they find themselves caught
between two complex legacies: on the one hand, that of Russian and
Soviet periods--colonialism, russification, de-islamicization,
centralization and communism; on the other, that of the period
prior to the Russian conquest--localism, tribalism and Islam.
Searching for meaning in what Nietzsche called "the rainbow colours" around the outer edges of knowledge and imagination, Edward O. Wilson bridges science and philosophy to create a twenty-first-century treatise on human existence. Once criticised for his over-reliance on genetics, Wilson unfurls his most expansive and advanced theories on human behaviour. Whether attempting to explicate "the Riddle of the Human Species", warning of "the Collapse of Biodiversity" or creating a plausible "Portrait of E.T.", Wilson believes that humanity holds a special position in the known universe. Alarmed, however, that we are about to abandon natural selection by redesigning biology and human nature as we wish them, Wilson concludes that advances in science and technology bring us our greatest moral dilemma in millennia.
Zoe C. Sherinian shows how Christian Dalits (once known as untouchables or outcastes) in southern India have employed music to protest social oppression and as a vehicle of liberation. Her focus is on the life and theology of a charismatic composer and leader, Reverend J. Theophilus Appavoo, who drew on Tamil folk music to create a distinctive form of indigenized Christian music. Appavoo composed songs and liturgy infused with messages linking Christian theology with critiques of social inequality. Sherinian traces the history of Christian music in India and introduces us to a community of Tamil Dalit Christian villagers, seminary students, activists, and theologians who have been inspired by Appavoo's music to work for social justice. Multimedia components available online include video and audio recordings of musical performances, religious services, and community rituals.
The concept of diaspora has evolved to include new meanings relating to global deterritorialization, transnational migration and cultural hybridity. In many cases it has come to replace minority, ethnic group and immigrant as a label of self reference and this development has introduced new perspectives on global networks and local identities. This study rejects the idea that locality has lost its meaning and argues that diaspora and locality are interrelated. The authors discuss the key concepts and theory, focusing on religion, the appropriation of space and place in history and the present. It features case histories on the Caribbean, Irish, Irish-American, Armenian, African and Greek diasporas.
Political anthropology has long been among the most vibrant
subdisciplines within anthropology, and work done in this area has
been instrumental in exploring some of the most significant issues
of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, including
(post)colonialism, development and underdevelopment, identity
politics, nationalism/transnationalism, and political violence.
In"The Anthropology of Politics: A Reader in Ethnography, Theory,
and Critique "readers will find a remarkable collection of classic
and contemporary articles on the subject. Following on from her landmark book on politics and anthropology, in this volume Joan Vincent provides a sweeping historical and theoretical introduction to the field. Selected readings from figures such as E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Edmund Leach, Victor Turner, Eric Wolf, Benedict Anderson, Talal Asad, Michael Taussig, Jean and John Comaroff, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak are enriched by Vincent's headnotes and suggestions for further reading. "The Anthropology of Politics "will prove an indispensable resource for students, scholars, and instructors alike.
What it means to be a Jew lies at the very heart of "Confessions of a Secular Jew," a provocative memoir and a thoughtful speculation on the nature of Jewish identity and experience in an increasingly secular world. The legacy bequeathed to Eugene Goodheart was a "progressive" secular Yiddish education which identified Jewish struggles against oppression with working class struggles against exploitation. In the vanguard was the Soviet Union. Goodheart's heroes were Moses, Bar Kochbah, Judah Maccabee, Karl Marx and that strange honorary Jew, Joseph Stalin, whose anti-Semitism would later become known to the world. "Confessions of a Secular Jew" is the story of Goodheart's disillusionment with the naive, even false, progressivism of that education. At the same time, it is an attempt to rescue and come to grips with the positive remains of that education and heritage. In the introduction to the new Transaction edition of his memoir, Goodheart addresses the themes of social justice, Zionism, chosenness, messianism, and alienation from a secular Jewish perspective. The memoir takes the reader from Goodheart's coming of age in Brooklyn to his higher education at Columbia College in the early fifties and beyond to his varied career as university teacher and literary critic. The memoir provides memorable characterizations of writers whom he knew, among them Lionel Trilling (his teacher), Saul Bellow, Richard Wright (whom he met in Paris), Hannah Arendt, and Philip Rahv.
"The Survival of a Counterculture" is a lively, engaging look into the ways communards, or people who live in communes, maintain, modify, use, and otherwise live with their convictions while they attempt to get through the problems of everyday life. Communal families shape their norms to the circumstances they live with, just as on a larger scale nations and major institutions also shape their ideologies to the pressures of circumstance they feel. With a new introduction by the author that brings his work up to date, this volume raises important questions regarding sociological theory.
Hunger and Work in a Savage Tribe examines the cultural aspects of food and eating among the Southern Bantu, taking as its starting point the bold statement 'nutrition as a biological process is more fundamental than sex'. When it was first published in 1932, with a preface by Malinowski, it laid the groundwork for sociological theory of nutrition. Richards was also among the first anthropologists to establish women's lives and the social sphere as legitimate subjects for anthropological study. |
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