Title: The wisdom of the bones : in search of human origins /
Authors: Walker, Alan, 1938-; Shipman, Pat, 1949-
Publisher: Knopf : Distributed by Random House,
Year: 1996
Subjects: Hominidae; Paleontology; Homo erectus Kenya.
Abstract: A remarkable discovery was made a decade ago on a dig in northern Kenya. When all the bone and skull fragments were painstakingly pieced together, they revealed the nearly complete skeleton of a teenage male (nicknamed Nariokotome boy, after a nearby sand river). Faced with the best-ever specimen of Homo erectus - a species long identified as the proverbial missing link between apes and humans - paleoanthropologist Alan Walker embarked on a long-term investigation of that species's nature. In this book, telling the story of that inquiry, he introduces us to his ever surprising, deeply engrossing world.
Contents: The youth, stone dead -- A skeleton in the closet -- Chinese fortunes -- The man who lost the missing link -- Missing links from the missing continent -- Sex & the missing link -- The single species solo -- Food for thought -- Vital statistics on a dead boy -- Skeleton keys -- The predatory habit -- A balanced perspective -- Rendered speechless -- Finding links, missing links.