The Evolution of the Human Head

Daniel E. Lieberman

Harvard University Press, May 3, 2011 - Science - 768 pages

In one sense, human heads function much like those of other mammals. We use them to chew, smell, swallow, think, hear, and so on. But, in other respects, the human head is quite unusual. Unlike other animals, even our great ape cousins, our heads are short and wide, very big brained, snoutless, largely furless, and perched on a short, nearly vertical neck. Daniel E. Lieberman sets out to explain how the human head works, and why our heads evolved in this peculiarly human way.

Exhaustively researched and years in the making, this innovative book documents how the many components of the head function, how they evolved since we diverged from the apes, and how they interact in diverse ways both functionally and developmentally, causing them to be highly integrated. This integration not only permits the head’s many units to accommodate each other as they grow and work, but also facilitates evolutionary change. Lieberman shows how, when, and why the major transformations evident in the evolution of the human head occurred. The special way the head is integrated, Lieberman argues, made it possible for a few developmental shifts to have had widespread effects on craniofacial growth, yet still permit the head to function exquisitely.

This is the first book to explore in depth what happened in human evolution by integrating principles of development and functional morphology with the hominin fossil record. The Evolution of the Human Head will permanently change the study of human evolution and has widespread ramifications for thinking about other branches of evolutionary biology.

Contents

• 1 A Tinkered Ape?: 1
• 2 The Skeletal Tissues of the Head: 18
• Embryonic Development of the Head: 56
• 4 Modular Growth of the Fetal and Postnatal Head: 96
• 5 Integration of the Head during Fetal and Postnatal Growth: 144
• 6 The Brain and the Skull: 182
• Chewing and the Head: 224
• 8 Pharynx Larynx Tongue and Lung: 281
• 9 Holding Up and Moving the Head: 338
• Vision Hearing Olfaction and Taste: 374
• 11 Early Hominin Heads: 414
• 12 Ecce Early Homo: 475
• 13 The Evolution of the Head in Homo sapiens: 527
• 14 Final Thoughts and Speculations: 604
• Glossary: 615
• References: 627
• Acknowledgments: 727
• Index: 729

About the author

Daniel E. Lieberman is Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Evolution of the Human Head
• Author: Daniel E. Lieberman
• Edition: unabridged
• Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2011
• ISBN: 0674059441, 9780674059443
• Length: 768 pages
• Subjects: Science / Life Sciences / Evolution; Science / Life Sciences / Human Anatomy & Physiology; Social Science / Anthropology / Physical