Seven Skeletons by Lydia V Pyne
An irresistible journey of discovery, science, history, and myth making, told through the lives and afterlives of seven famous human ancestorsOver the last century, the search for human ancestors has spanned four continents and resulted in the discovery of hundreds of fossils. While most of these discoveries live quietly in museum collections, there are a few that have become world-renowned celebrity personas ambassadors of science that speak to public audiences. In Seven Skeletons, historian of science Lydia Pyne explores how seven such famous fossils of our ancestors have the social cachet they enjoy today.
Drawing from archives, museums, and interviews, Pyne builds a cultural history for each celebrity fossil from its discovery to its afterlife in museum exhibits to its legacy in popular culture. These seven include the three-foot tall hobbit from Flores, the Neanderthal of La Chapelle, the Taung Child, the Piltdown man hoax, Peking Man, Australopithecus Sediba, and Lucy each embraced and celebrated by generations, and vivid examples of how discoveries of how our ancestors have been received, remembered, and immortalized. Today, you can even follow the Sediba fossil, from a species two million years old, on Twitter.
With wit and insight, Pyne brings to life each fossil, and how it is described, put on display, and shared among scientific communities and the broader public. This fascinating, endlessly entertaining book puts the impact of paleoanthropology into new context, a reminder of how our past as a species continues to affect, in astounding ways, our present culture and imagination.
Pyne, Lydia: - Lydia Pyne is an affiliate researcher in the Institute for Historical Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Her previous books include Genuine Fakes: How Phony Things Can Teach Us About Real Stuff.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780525429852 |
| ISBN 10 | 0525429859 |
| Title | Seven Skeletons |
| Author | Lydia V Pyne |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year published | 2016-08-16 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |