Human Brain Evolution The Influence of Freshwater and Marine Food Resources
by Cunnane, Stephen; Stewart, KathlynEdition: 1st
Format: Hardcover
Pub. Date: 2010-06-01
Publisher(s): Wiley-Blackwell
Other versions by this Author
List Price: $197.28
Buy New
Usually Ships in 8 - 10 Business Days.
$197.08
Rent Textbook
Select for Price
Rent Digital
$177.60*
Used Textbook
We're Sorry
Sold Out
How Marketplace Works:
- This item is offered by an independent seller and not shipped from our warehouse
- Item details like edition and cover design may differ from our description; see seller's comments before ordering.
- Sellers much confirm and ship within two business days; otherwise, the order will be cancelled and refunded.
- Marketplace purchases cannot be returned to eCampus.com. Contact the seller directly for inquiries; if no response within two days, contact customer service.
- Additional shipping costs apply to Marketplace purchases. Review shipping costs at checkout.
Summary
The evolution of the human brain and cognitive ability is one of the central themes of physical/biological anthropology. This book discusses the emergence of human cognition at a conceptual level, describing it as a process of long adaptive stasis interrupted by short periods of cognitive advance. These advances were not linear and directed, but were acquired indirectly as part of changing human behaviors, in other words through the process of exaptation (acquisition of a function for which it was not originally selected). Based on studies of the modem human brain, certain prerequisites were needed for the development of the early brain and associated cognitive advances. This book documents the energy and nutrient constraints of the modern brain, highlighting the significant role of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) in brain development and maintenance. Crawford provides further emphasis for the role of essential fatty acids, in particular DHA, in brain development, by discussing the evolution of the eye and neural systems.This is an ideal book for Graduate students, post docs, research scientists in Physical/Biological Anthropology, Human Biology, Archaeology, Nutrition, Cognitive Science, Neurosciences. It is also an excellent selection for a grad student discussion seminar.
Author Biography
Stephen C. Cunnane, Ph.D., holds the Canada Research Chair in Brain Metabolism and Aging and is the Director of the Research Centre on Aging at Sherbrooke University Geriatric Institute. He sits on the editorial boards of iiuinerous journals, including Nutrition, British Journal of Nutrition and Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine.
Kathlyn M. Stewart, Ph.D. is a Research Scientist in Paleobiology and former Head of Paleobiology at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Specializing in environmental change and human adaptation, she has extensive field experience in Africa.
Table of Contents
| Foreword: Evolution, Encephalization, Environment | p. vii |
| Introduction | p. xiii |
| Contributors | p. xix |
| Macroevolutionary Patterns, Exaptation, and Emergence in the Evolution of the Human Brain and Cognition | p. 1 |
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| Natural Selection | p. 1 |
| Macroevolution | p. 2 |
| Patterns in Human Evolution | p. 3 |
| Symbolic Cognition | p. 5 |
| Exaptation and Emergence | p. 8 |
| Large Brains and Aquatic Resources | p. 9 |
| References | p. 10 |
| Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Human Brain Evolution | p. 13 |
| Introduction - Lipids and Evolution | p. 13 |
| The Evolution of Complex Life Forms | p. 14 |
| The Language of Lipids | p. 15 |
| DHA | p. 17 |
| Evolution of Homo sapiens | p. 20 |
| DHA and Neural Pathways? | p. 22 |
| A Comment on AA | p. 24 |
| The Third Phase of Earth's Life History - AA and Reproduction in Mammals | p. 25 |
| Darwin and the Conditions of Existence | p. 26 |
| Implications | p. 27 |
| Conclusion | p. 28 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 28 |
| Notes | p. 28 |
| References | p. 28 |
| Human Brain Evolution: A Question Of Solving Key Nutritional And Metabolic Constraints On Mammalian Brain Development | p. 33 |
| Introduction | p. 33 |
| Brain Evolution in Hominins | p. 35 |
| Need for A New Paradigm | p. 38 |
| Brain Development | p. 40 |
| Energy Requirements of the Brain | p. 41 |
| Nutrients and Brain Function | p. 44 |
| Brain-Selective Nutrients | p. 46 |
| Critical Importance of Baby Fat in Humans | p. 52 |
| Gene - Nutrient Interactions | p. 57 |
| Conclusions | p. 59 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 61 |
| References | p. 61 |
| Metabolic and Molecular Aspects of the Critical Role of Docosahexaenoic Acid in Human Brain Function | p. 65 |
| Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Molecular Structure | p. 65 |
| DHA and Neural Function | p. 66 |
| Metabolic and Biophysical Considerations | p. 68 |
| Functional Importance of DHA in Retinal and Neural Membranes | p. 70 |
| Dietary Need for Preformed DHA | p. 71 |
| DHA Intake During Pregnancy and Lactation: Effects on Higher CNS Functions of the Mother and Infant | p. 73 |
| Summary | p. 74 |
| References | p. 74 |
| Lessons from Shore-Based Hunter-Gatherer Diets in East Africa | p. 77 |
| Introduction | p. 77 |
| Our Genetic Background | p. 78 |
| Adaptation to the Conditions of Existence | p. 79 |
| Western Diets and the Human Genome | p. 81 |
| Brain-Selective Nutrients in Health and Disease | p. 83 |
| Dietary Fatty Acids at the Land-Water Interface | p. 84 |
| Tanzanian Breast Milk Fatty Acids Versus Western Recommendations | p. 89 |
| Estimated Fatty Acid Intakes from Shore-Based Paleolithic Diets | p. 93 |
| Conclusions | p. 96 |
| Notes | p. 97 |
| References | p. 97 |
| Appendix | p. 103 |
| Thyroid Hormone, Iodine and Human Brain Evolution | p. 105 |
| Introduction | p. 105 |
| Thyroid Hormone Metabolism and Function | p. 105 |
| Fetal Development | p. 108 |
| Antioxidant Activity of Iodine | p. 108 |
| Dietary Sources of Iodine | p. 110 |
| Iodine Deficiency Disorders | p. 111 |
| Human Brain Evolution | p. 113 |
| Thyroid Hormone, Iodine, and Human Brain Evolution | p. 117 |
| Conclusion | p. 118 |
| References | p. 119 |
| Food For Thought: The Role of Coastlines and Aquatic Resources in Human Evolution | p. 125 |
| Introduction | p. 125 |
| Food for Thought | p. 126 |
| Human Nutrition and Physiology | p. 127 |
| Archaeological Evidence for the Antiquity of Fishing | p. 128 |
| Conclusions | p. 132 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 133 |
| Notes | p. 133 |
| References | p. 133 |
| The Case for Exploitation of Wetlands Environments and Foods by Pre-sapiens Hominins | p. 137 |
| Introduction | p. 137 |
| Hominid Exploitation of Wetlands Environments and Resources | p. 139 |
| Early Hominins: Colonization of New Environments | p. 144 |
| Plio-Pleistocene Climate Instability and Use of Wetlands Resources | p. 147 |
| Intensification of Wetlands Vegetation Exploitation | p. 149 |
| The Shift to High-Quality Foods | p. 151 |
| Preconditions for Encephalization | p. 155 |
| Precessional Forcing, Drying Lakes/Rivers, and Die-Offs of Aquatic Faunas | p. 157 |
| Mammal Meat: A Later Hominin Adaptation? | p. 158 |
| Postscript | p. 160 |
| Summary | p. 161 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 162 |
| References | p. 162 |
| Brain Size in Carnivoran Mammals That Forage at The Land-Water Ecotone, With Implications For Robust Australopithecine Paleobiology | p. 173 |
| Introduction | p. 173 |
| Methods | p. 177 |
| Results | p. 177 |
| Discussion | p. 183 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 186 |
| References | p. 186 |
| Coastal Diet, Encephalization, and Innovative Behaviors in the Late Middle Stone Age of Southern Africa | p. 189 |
| Introduction | p. 189 |
| Changes | p. 190 |
| Climate Change | p. 196 |
| A New Narrative | p. 198 |
| References | p. 200 |
| Human Brain Evolution: A New Wetlands Scenario | p. 203 |
| Human Brain Evolution | p. 203 |
| Neurochemical and Nutritional Evidence | p. 203 |
| The Fossil Evidence | p. 204 |
| Plausibility, Prediction, and Parsimony | p. 205 |
| Salient Points | p. 206 |
| Conclusion | p. 207 |
| Reference | p. 207 |
| Index | p. 209 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
An electronic version of this book is available through VitalSource.
This book is viewable on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and most smartphones.
By purchasing, you will be able to view this book online, as well as download it, for the chosen number of days.
Digital License
You are licensing a digital product for a set duration. Durations are set forth in the product description, with "Lifetime" typically meaning five (5) years of online access and permanent download to a supported device. All licenses are non-transferable.
More details can be found here.
A downloadable version of this book is available through the eCampus Reader or compatible Adobe readers.
Applications are available on iOS, Android, PC, Mac, and Windows Mobile platforms.
Please view the compatibility matrix prior to purchase.