"Developmental Dynamics is a tour de force: a refreshingly original, profound and thought-provoking synthesis rooted in impressive scholarship." -- Martin Lockley, author of The Eternal Trail; Professor of Paleontology, University of Colorado
"If you are in any way curious about our origins, then I invite you to read this book." -- Kenneth McNamara, author of Shapes of Time: the Evolution of Growth and Development; Senior Curator, Invertebrate Paleontology, W.A. Museum, Perth, Australia
Product Description
Belgian scientist Jos Verhulst presents the most thorough research to date showing that dynamic principles inherent in the development of individual organisms are also at work in animal evolution as a whole. For example: A chimpanzee fetus is strikingly similar to its human counterpart: its cranium is rounded, its face flat, and its hair is restricted to its head. As it develops, however, the chimp diverges from its original, humanlike form, assuming specialized apelike features. In a detailed comparative study of numerous organs, Verhulst shows that, unlike the other primates, humans retain their original juvenile form. Standing Darwin on his head, he concludes that humans have not descended from apes, but rather that apes have evolved by diverging from a humanlike prototype.
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