The Fossil Trail: How We Know What We Think We Know About Human Evolution

By Ian Tattersall

Book Overview

One of the most remarkable fossil finds in history occurred in Laetoli, Tanzania, in 1974, when anthropologist Andrew Hill (diving to the ground to avoid a lump of elephant dung thrown by a colleague) came face to face with a set of ancient footprints captured in stone--the earliest recorded steps of our far-off human ancestors, some three million years old. Today we can see a recreation of the making of the Laetoli footprints at the American Museum of Natural History, in a stunning diorama which depicts two of our human forebears walking side by side through a snowy landscape of volcanic ash. But how do we know what these three-million-year-old relatives looked like? How have we reconstructed the eons-long journey from our first ancient steps to where we stand today? In short, how do we know what we think we know about human evolution?
In The Fossil Trail, Ian Tattersall, the head of the Anthropology Department at the American Museum of Natural History, takes us on a sweeping tour of the study of human evolution, offering a colorful history of fossil discoveries and a revealing insider's look at how these finds have been interpreted--and misinterpreted--through time. All the major figures and discoveries are here. We meet Lamarck and Cuvier and Darwin (we learn that Darwin's theory of evolution, though a bombshell, was very congenial to a Victorian ethos of progress), right up to modern theorists such as Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould. Tattersall describes Dubois's work in Java, the many discoveries in South Africa by pioneers such as Raymond Dart and Robert Broom, Louis and Mary Leakey's work at Olduvai Gorge, Don Johanson's famous discovery of "Lucy" (a 3.4 million-year-old female hominid, some 40% complete), and the more recent discovery of the "Turkana Boy," even more complete than "Lucy," and remarkably similar to modern human skeletons. He discusses the many techniques available to analyze finds, from fluorine analysis (developed in the 1950s, it exposed Piltdown as a hoax) and radiocarbon dating to such modern techniques as electron spin resonance and the analysis of human mitochondrial DNA. He gives us a succinct picture of what we presently think our "family tree" looks like, with at least three genera and perhaps a dozen species through time (though he warns that this greatly underestimates the actual diversity of hominids over the past two million or so years). And he paints a vivid, insider's portrait of paleoanthropology, the dogged work in the broiling sun, searching for a tooth, or a fractured corner of bone, amid stone litter and shadows, with no guarantee of ever finding anything. And perhaps most important, Tattersall looks at all these great researchers and discoveries within the context of their social and scientific milleu, to reveal the insidious ways that the received wisdom can shape how we interpret fossil findings, that what we expect to find colors our understanding of what we do find.
Refreshingly opinionated and vividly narrated, The Fossil Trail is the only book available to general readers that offers a full history of our study of human evolution. A fascinating story with intriguing turns along the way, this well-illustrated volume is essential reading for anyone curious about our human origins.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195061012
• ISBN13: 9780195061017
• Release Date: March 1995
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 9.5" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Tattersall provides access to a complex field

Ian Tattersall does wonders for paleontology and anthropology. Here he literally explains "how we know what we think we know about human evolution." Tattersall illuminates just how fasions and concepts are constantly shifting as new fossils are found. His description of how and where fossils are found is fascinating. We don't know nearly as much about human evolution as most might think. And what we think of evolution is subject to constant change - and not at all firm. Overall, Tattersall provides an easily accessible path to a complex subject. Anyone with an interest in how humankind may have evolved will find this interesting reading. Jerry

Fascinating!!

Informative, interesting, and contrary to what Anthony, ... said, a very enjoyable read. This book was recommended to me by one of my professors and was far beyond simply worthwhile; it was scientifically accurate and absolutely fascinating. Ian Tattersall's unique writing style is what makes it that way!!

One of the best books on human evolution ever written!

The author of this book writes a highly readable account on the history and biology of human evolution. I was captivated by his ability to make such a difficult subject so interesting and palatable. Tattersall eases through five million years of primate ancestry and a hundered and fifty years of convoluted theories on human evolution, hitting all of the highlights of important fossil discoveries. The author, however, approaches the human fossil record as a biologist, interpreting and reporting what he observes with lapidary skills that go unchallenged by any anthropologist. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in knowing more about human evolution than most anthropologists.

A fascinating history of ideas about human evolution.

Too often we forget that what we believe today is heavily determined by what our predecessors thought. Nowhere is this more true than it is in the study of human evolution, as Ian Tattersall elegantly shows in this smooth-flowing and highly readable book. By blending an engaging account of the discovery of the human fossil record with the history of paleoanthropological analysis, the author shows how the variety of current interpretations arose, and offers an intriguing alternative of his own. If you want to understand where all the controversies that currently rage around the subject of human evolution originated, this lively and well-written book is the source for you.

An excellent book if you take the time to absorb it

"The Fossil Trail" is an excellent book. It is,however, somewhat dense and requires a reading that is full-attention oriented. This is not one to be read before the kids go to bed. Written by Ian Tattersall, one of my favorite anthropologists, this is a deep and full look at the evolution of hominids and humans. He covers tremendous ground and is hard to review for that reason. Dr. Tattersall covers the entire history of Homo Sapiens, from very far back in the hominid line to Homo Sapiens. He covers fossils, scientific hypothesis, theory, and wild guesses with equal fairness. The only way to absorb this book is to read it. I recommend you do