"This important volume sheds new light on the social, political, and economic role of beer in society.... Highly Recommended."-Choice A Choice Outstanding Academic Book of The Year 2011 Winner of the 2011 Gourmand World Cookbook UK Award Beer is an ancient alcoholic drink which, although produced through a more complex process than wine, was developed by a wide range of cultures to become internationally popular. This book is the first multidisciplinary, cross-cultural collection about beer. It explores the brewing processes used in antiquity and in traditional societies; the social and symbolic roles of beer-drinking; the beliefs and activities associated with it; the health-promoting effects as well as the health-damaging risks; and analyses the modern role of large multinational companies, which own many of the breweries, and the marketing techniques that they employ. From the introduction: What made you pick up this book? Was it the thought of that foaming pint while you relaxed in a British pub, a German beer garden, a Czech restaurant, an American or 'Continental' bar, on a beach or ski slope or in front of the television at home? Wherever your beer was purchased, in much of the world you would have been offered choice. The choice might only have been between different brand names of bottled beer, or it might have been between a wide range of ales, lagers, wheat and other beers from a cask, a keg, cans or bottles. Even people who do not drink beer will be aware of this diversity....the editors believe that this collation of perspectives on beer will also intrigue many readers in the general public.

"This important volume sheds new light on the social, political, and economic role of beer in society.... Highly Recommended."-Choice A Choice Outstanding Academic Book of The Year 2011 Winner of the 2011 Gourmand World Cookbook UK Award Beer is an ancient alcoholic drink which, although produced through a more complex process than wine, was developed by a wide range of cultures to become internationally popular. This book is the first multidisciplinary, cross-cultural collection about beer. It explores the brewing processes used in antiquity and in traditional societies; the social and symbolic roles of beer-drinking; the beliefs and activities associated with it; the health-promoting effects as well as the health-damaging risks; and analyses the modern role of large multinational companies, which own many of the breweries, and the marketing techniques that they employ. From the introduction: What made you pick up this book? Was it the thought of that foaming pint while you relaxed in a British pub, a German beer garden, a Czech restaurant, an American or 'Continental' bar, on a beach or ski slope or in front of the television at home? Wherever your beer was purchased, in much of the world you would have been offered choice. The choice might only have been between different brand names of bottled beer, or it might have been between a wide range of ales, lagers, wheat and other beers from a cask, a keg, cans or bottles. Even people who do not drink beer will be aware of this diversity....the editors believe that this collation of perspectives on beer will also intrigue many readers in the general public.

In a Darwinian world, religious behavior - just like other behaviors - is likely to have undergone a process of natural selection in which it was rewarded in the evolutionary currency of reproductive success. This book aims to provide a better understanding of the social scenarios in which selection pressure led to religious practices becoming an evolved human trait, i.e. an adaptive answer to the conditions of living and surviving that prevailed among our prehistoric ancestors. This aim is pursued by a team of expert authors from a range of disciplines. Their contributions examine the relevant physiological, emotional, cognitive and social processes. The resulting understanding of the functional interplay of these processes gives valuable insights into the biological roots and benefits of religion.

Medicine is grounded in the natural sciences, where biology stands out with regard to our understanding of human physiology and the conditions that cause dysfunction. Ironically though, evolutionary biology is a relatively disregarded field. One reason for this omission is that evolution is deemed a slow process. Indeed, the macroanatomical features of our species have changed very little in the last 300,000 years. A more detailed look, however, reveals that novel ecological contingencies, partly in relation to cultural evolution, have brought about subtle changes pertaining to metabolism and immunology, including adaptations to dietary innovations, as well as adaptations to the exposure to novel pathogens. Rapid pathogen evolution and evolution of cancer cells cause major problems for the immune system. Moreover, many adaptations to past ecologies have actually turned into risk factors for somatic disease and psychological disorder in our modern worlds (i.e. mismatch), among which epidemics of autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity, as well as several forms of cancer stand out. One could add depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions to the list. The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine is a compilation of up-to-date insights into the evolutionary history of ourselves as a species, exploring how and why our evolved design may convey vulnerability to disease. Written in a classic textbook style emphasising physiology and pathophysiology of all major organ systems, the Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Medicine is valuable reading for students as well as scholars in the fields of medicine, biology, anthropology and psychology.

9 enarzt, NAAKTGEBOREN ist Zoologe) die Frage nach dem Verhaltnis zur Psychophysiologie der Geburt und der modernen technologisierten Ge- burtshilfe auf. Diese beiden Beitrage verdeutlichen wohl am besten, wie unbekannt die sozio-psycho-physiologischen Zusammenhange der Ge- burt noch sind, und welch breites, interdisziplinares Forschungsge- biet sich hier eroeffnet hat. Die These beider, dass es einer Frau un- ter der Geburt erlaubt sein muss zu regredieren, um sich auf die Vor- gange in ihrem Koerper harmonisch einstellen zu koennen, wird einleuch- tend vertreten. Dass die Frau dazu vor allem eines absoluten Vertrau- ens in sich selber und in ihre Umgebung bedarf, unabhangig davon, ob diese ein neusteinzeitliches Geburtshaus, ein niederlandischer Privathaushalt oder ein deutscher Kreissaal ist, ist einsichtig. Dies ist insofern von besonderem Interesse, als in vielen traditio- nellen Ethnien, wie die Beitrage aus Neuguinea, Yukatan, den Karoli- nischen Inseln, Korea, Madagaskar, Ungarn etc. zeigen, diese Ver- trauenshaltung und diese Regression der Gebarenden durch die Umge- bung systematisch gefoerdert wird. Die vermuteten Zusammenhange zu 'Bonding' und Stillfahigkeit sind bedenkenswert. Um diese Zusammen- hange und ihre Wirkungen auch in bezug auf die sozio-psychosomati- sche Physiologie und Pathologie der Geburt zu verstehen und transkul- turell vergleichend beurteilen zu koennen, bedarf es in der Tat des Konzepts der Geburtshilfe als kulturellem System.

By the year 2030, the average life expectancy of women in industrialized countries could reach ninety--exceeding that of men by about ten years. At the present time, postmenopausal women represent more than fifteen percent of the world's population and this figure is likely to grow.
From an evolutionary perspective, these demographic numbers pose some intriguing questions. Darwinian theory holds that a successful life is measured in terms of reproduction. How is it, then, that a woman's lifespan can greatly exceed her childbearing and childrearing years? Is this phenomenon simply a byproduct of improved standards of living, or do older women--grandmothers in particular--play a measurable role in increasing their family members' biological success?
Until now, these questions have not been examined in a thorough and comprehensive manner. Bringing together""theoretical and empirical work by""internationally recognized scholars in anthropology, psychology, ethnography, and the social sciences, " Grandmotherhood" explores the evolutionary purpose and possibilities of female post-generative life. Students and scholars of human evolution, anthropology, and even gerontology will look to this volume as a major contribution to the current literature in evolutionary studies.

In a Darwinian world, religious behavior - just like other behaviors - is likely to have undergone a process of natural selection in which it was rewarded in the evolutionary currency of reproductive success. This book aims to provide a better understanding of the social scenarios in which selection pressure led to religious practices becoming an evolved human trait, i.e. an adaptive answer to the conditions of living and surviving that prevailed among our prehistoric ancestors. This aim is pursued by a team of expert authors from a range of disciplines. Their contributions examine the relevant physiological, emotional, cognitive and social processes. The resulting understanding of the functional interplay of these processes gives valuable insights into the biological roots and benefits of religion.