The Evolution of the Human Head

by Daniel E. Lieberman

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.

Genres: Science, Anthropology, Biology, Nonfiction, Evolution, Health, Research

768 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 2011

About the author

Daniel E. Lieberman is a paleoanthropologist at Harvard University, where he is the Edwin M Lerner II Professor of Biological Sciences, and chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology. He is best known for his research on the evolution of the human head and the evolution of the human body.

Lieberman was educated at Harvard University, where he obtained his A.B., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. He also received a M. Phil from Cambridge University. He was a Junior Fellow in the Harvard Society of Fellows and taught at Rutgers University and the George Washington University before becoming a professor at Harvard University in 2001. He is on the curatorial board of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, a member of the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, and the Scientific Executive Committee of the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation. He is the director of the Skeletal Biology Laboratory at Harvard University.

Lieberman studies how and why the human body is the way it is. His research combines paleontology, anatomy, physiology and experimental biomechanics in the lab and in the field. He has focused to a large extent on why and how humans have such unusual heads. He is also well known for his research on the evolution of human locomotion including whether the first hominins were bipeds, why bipedalism evolved, the biomechanical challenges of pregnancy in females, how locomotion affects skeletal function and, most especially, the evolution of running. His 2004 paper with Dennis Bramble, “Endurance Running and the Evolution of the Genus Homo” proposed that humans evolved to run long distances to scavenge and hunt. His research on running in general, especially barefoot running was popularized in Chris McDougall’s best-selling book Born to Run. Lieberman is an avid marathon runner, often barefoot, which has earned him the nickname, The Barefoot Professor.

Reviews

[Forrest Crock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, but highly technical. I would not suggest this book for most of my non-biologist/anthropologist friends. This book was written extremely well and has covered the subject extensively. People with some technical knowledge of human anatomy would be able to enjoy this book with very little prep. Of course knowledge of skull anatomy is most important to understand a lot of this book. If you are like me, someone who has studied other aspects of biology, or are more of a lay person may I suggest two books to get you ready for Lieberman’s book. Evolution’s Bite: A Story of Teeth, diet, and human origins by Peter S Ungar and Making Faces: The Evolutionary Origins of the Human Face by Adam S Wilkins. Both of these books make great reads before you tackle Lieberman’s book.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well written. As an undergraduate studying dentistry and so already had a good understanding of the human head I felt I understood the majority of what was being written - however it can sometimes become very heavy and requires a lot of concentration to follow. I would thoroughly recommend it as an enjoyable read alongside studies concerning the relevant subjects. It definitely helped to solidify my understanding of such a complex topic as the human head, particularly as the chapters concentrate on specific systems - for example there is a whole chapter on the human dentition and mastication which was obviously highly relevant to my University course!

[Mary Mcqueen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am glad the author has tackled this topic and presented so many details of physical evolution's requirements for gaining certain results.
Okay - I confess I checked this book back into the library. I was feeling like more light reading, but am going to get this out again someday and see what is there. This book is full of wonderful illustrations and useful charts.

[Joe Iacovino]

Well-written but a bit beyond my pay grade. Lots of terminology and, for me, is better suited as a reference manual than a straight-read book. The sections are broken down very well for such a usage and I am going to take advantage of that.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it was a technical book - I was able to read and enjoy it without having medical training. It was a very interesting, and refreshing look of how humans have evolved and formed over the years. An excellent read to expand on The Origin of the Species.

[James Earls · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the evolution, the anatomy, and comparative anatomy of the human head. Not a book for the novice, this is an excellent post-graduate text.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I going on my second year in college, and this book was pretty hard to read. It is overall very informative, while bringing in the author's specific opinions on the evolution of the human head. If you are considering this book to enrich your knowledge on evolution, it will take you awhile but it does pretty much cover most of the details on the topic.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my LJ review check out the following:

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