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Title: Excellent Overview Of Human Evolution
Review: Boyd & Silk do an excellent job of covering the broad expanse of human evolution. The examples, explanations, illustrations and periodic anecdotes are very well-organized and cogent. I especially enjoyed the coverage of opposing points of view and the pros/cons for each.The one thing I was in disagreement over though was their inclusion of Koko as an example of how gorillas can be taught human language skills (in this case American Sign Language). It's been observed that at least some of what Koko appeared to be communicating via signing was the result of unconscious nonverbal prompting on the part of Francine Patterson, hence why many linguists are skeptical of using Koko as an example of animal use of ASL.Besides that (which the authors may just simply have not known about) the book is INCREDIBLY well-researched and honest in it's examination of modern-day evolutionary theory. Highly recommended for anyone interested in evolution, biology or anthropology.
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