Paleoanthropologist Begun (anthropology, Univ. of Toronto; The Evolution of Thought) tells the story of great ape evolution based on the fossil evidence of the Miocene epoch (some ten to 20 million years ago), when many ancestral great ape species flourished in Africa, Europe, and Asia. Much of this story involves teeth. Fossil apes are often taxonomi-cally classified on the basis of a single tooth or even tooth fragment because it is the only fossil evidence available. Amazingly, one tooth can be enough to provide important clues about an extinct animal's diet and environment. Based on just such fossil evidence, the author argues that the ancestral species that gave rise to the modem great ape and human lineages originated in Europe rather than Africa. Sometimes referred to as the "out of Africa and back again" hypothesis, it is not a widely held view. VERDICT While it offers lay readers a fascinating glimpse into the rugged field work of a paleoanthropologist, this book's lengthy descriptions of anatomy and dentition make it most suitable for those with an academic background in the subject or primate evolution.-Cynthia Lee Knight (CLK), formerly with Hunterdon Cty. Lib., Flemington, NJ.
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