Wide-ranging and inclusive, this text provides an invaluable review of an expansive selection of topics in human evolution, variation and adaptability for professionals and students in biological anthropology, evolutionary biology, medical sciences and psychology. The chapters are organized around four broad themes, with sections devoted to phenotypic and genetic variation within and between human populations, reproductive physiology and behavior, growth and development, and human health from evolutionary and ecological perspectives. An introductory section provides readers with the historical, theoretical and methodological foundations needed to understand the more complex ideas presented later. Two hundred discussion questions provide starting points for class debate and assignments to test student understanding.

'More than simply a textbook or compilation, this volume is nothing short of a handbook for a young and vigorous branch of biology. Authoritative, comprehensive, and up to date, it will be an essential book for student and expert alike. Muehlenbein and his contributors have defined human evolutionary biology for the next decade.'

Peter T. Ellison - Harvard University

'The chapters in this volume provide up-to-date coverage of topics important for evolutionary medicine, and not available elsewhere. Beginners will value their clarity, advanced readers will appreciate the differing perspectives and opinions of individual scientists that reflect the complexity and diversity of the field.'

Randolph M. Nesse - University of Michigan

'The journey toward our understanding of human evolutionary biology stands at an exciting juncture: far enough along that a richly detailed, dramatic landscape now surrounds us, and yet not so far that we can envision precisely where paths will take us further. In this extraordinary volume, a line-up of many of the very best experts the field has to offer guides us through the journey taken thus far and characterizes, in both broad strokes and intricate details within their specialties, where we stand. As heartily, our guides offer principled visions of what lies ahead, as well as how our travels might proceed to get there. The result is a timely collection that inspires as much as it impresses - and it impresses mightily. I recommend the volume to students of human evolutionary biology at all levels.'

Steven W. Gangestad - University of New Mexico

'The editor clearly intends that this will stand as the authoritative desk reference for advanced students and professionals in the field. It may achieve this status for several reasons. The list of contributing authors is a virtual who’s who of the anthropologists interested in the biology of modern people. Each chapter has study questions that may engage students. There is no other such compendium.'

Jeffrey C. Long Source: The Quarterly Review of Biology