Children of the Ice Age: How a Global Catastrophe Allowed Humans to Evolve [Paperback]

Steven M. Stanley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1998

A richly informed and inspired description of our evolution from Australopithecus to the Homo Sapiens we are today.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Which came first in human evolution?upright walking or our large brain? Noted for his contributions to evolutionary theory, paleobiologist Stanley (Johns Hopkins) poses his own question: What catastrophe could have prompted our ancestor, Australopithecus arboreal?apelike and successful for one million years?to leave the safety of the trees for a much more dangerous life on the ground? He proposes that the onset of the modern Ice Age altered Africa's landscape, drastically reducing its woodlands and ultimately prompting Australopithecus to abandon trees, which finally provided the opportunity for a larger brain to evolve?possible only when our ancestors freed their hands to care for immature offspring. Stanley presents convincing arguments for the premise that a change of behavior tends to precede a major alteration of physiognomy. He supports the punctuated equilibrium theory of evolution, which makes Homo Sapiens a lucky accident rather than the logical outcome of natural selection; and shows that what sets us apart from all other species is our ability constantly to adjust our relationship to a changing environment. This fascinating, eminently readable book is sure to arouse controversy but contributes thought-provoking arguments to the continuing search for our evolutionary origins. Highly recommended.?Gloria Maxwell, Kansas City P.L., Mo.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

When presented with persuasive rhetoric, new theories of human origins can seem to be the coming consensus, as with those Stanley proposes. A major problem he and fellow paleontologists grapple with is the connection between Australopithecus (the "Lucy" fossil) and Homo erectus (the "Turkana Boy" fossil). The key, Stanley argues, is the movement of land masses millions of years ago between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that triggered an ice age that fragmented the African forests inhabited by Australopithecus, from an isolated population of which, through the accelerated processes of "punctuated equilibrium," emerged the Homo genus. In addition to that scientifically updated Great Chain of Being, Stanley dwells on pressures likely to have favored a change in Lucy's kin after anatomical stagnation for a million years. These he groups under inferences about carnivores and child rearing, which he headlines as the "terrestrial imperative" --what made it safe for hominids to descend from the trees. A fascinating, able writer, Stanley should attract as much general interest as he has specialized attention from the professionals. Gilbert Taylor --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: W. H. Freeman (August 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716731983
• ISBN-13: 978-0716731986
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,856,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great hypothesis but could have been shorter., July 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Children of the Ice Age: How a Global Catastrophe Allowed Humans to Evolve (Paperback)

Stanley obviously knows his stuff (and seems, at times, to be somewhat impressed with himself), but the book was too long for what he had to say. However, I did find his ideas interesting. I was especially intrigued by his assessment of the science of anthropology, and how it lags behind broader paleontological theory. Generally, the book was a good read, even though I felt compelled to skim some sections that seemed overly detailed.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's an ill wind . . ., February 19, 2004

By 

Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Children of the Ice Age: How a Global Catastrophe Allowed Humans to Evolve (Hardcover)

In his innovative view of the course of human evolution, Stanley postulates that our species' ancestors essentially followed the course his mentor , Steve Gould proposed - a sudden appearance, followed by a long, stable period, then extinction. Using hominid fossils available at time of publication, he argues that "Lucy" - Australopithecus afarensis - represents a transition between tree-dwelling apes and ground-striding humans. He further contends she is a direct forebear of humans. What brought her and her kin to earth was the impact of global cooling instigated by the suture of North and South America through the Panamanian isthmus. This closure interrupted long-extant wind and ocean current patterns. A new, dry wind swept across Africa dehydrating the land and forests. With fewer trees, full-fledged ground dwelling offered a better option for survival.

Stanley accepts the recent revisionist view of Lucy - that her bipedalism was more opportunistic than her diet and lifestyle dictated. Her long arms suggest a heavy investment in the arboreal environment. Toes appear better suited to climbing than walking. He dismisses the Laetoli footprints as an aberration, unrepresentative of typical daily life. Stanley sees her commuting between scattered woodland and open grassland. The retreat of the forest presented an opportunity for a new species to emerge - Homo erectus. Erectus, of course, was the great wanderer who moved out of East Africa, beginning the great human migration to Asia. With erectus came the move to long-term child care, especially compared to other primates. Large brains meant difficult births. If a child was to survive, it required nurturing. The brain itself, Stanley further suggests, evolved by demanding greater resources.

Stanley's narrative is marred by incessant paeans to Stephen Gould's "evolution by jerks". Punctuated equilibrium has been essentially laid to rest as the fundamental mechanism of natural selection. It's not only disappointing to see Stanley flogging the concept with such ardour, but his reverse projection of the path of human evolution back through the history of life smacks of the worst kind of a priori reasoning. There simply isn't enough fossil evidence to warrant the direct link between Australopithecus and Homo sapiens. He spends an unreasonable amount of text arguing why bipedalism preceded large brains, with lengthy accounts of the physiology involved. This is old news, well covered in works by Johanson and others. Worse, it adds little to his thesis. While the basic theme is worth noting, Stanley could have covered the idea without wandering so far afield. A challenging but hardly definitive study. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Ideas, Less-than-Compelling Style, September 17, 2005

By 

Jeremy Raymondjack (Roslindale, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Children of the Ice Age: How a Global Catastrophe Allowed Humans to Evolve (Paperback)

It took me a while to slog through this book. Not being an expert in the field, I found myself a bit annoyed at the author's constant reminders of how revolutionary his thinking is. Maybe he is a gianty in his field, I have no idea. But continually being told so was a bit tedious.

Other than that, the thesis is very impressive. The idea that the emergence of the isthmus of Panama could provoke a series of events that resulted in the emergence of our direct anecstors is really staggering. Our species turns out to be fairly accidental, a sobering fact.

The different themes are organized backwards by the author, so that the most fundamental and shocking things come last. I don't think this strategy works too well. It may be more dramatic, but the overall coherence and unity of the book suffers. And the writing style is fairly mediocre. I would enjoy seeing a better writer tackle the same subjects.

All in all, I would hesitatingly recommeend.