Humankind: How Biology and Geography Shape Human Diversity

Harcourt (Gorilla Society), a professor emeritus in the anthropology department at the University of California, Davis, catalogs an extensive array of historical and current hypotheses in human biogeography—the “biology behind the geography of species distributions”—and the data that support or undermine them. Though he is conservative in acknowledging that evidential history is in some sense always theory, he integrates a broad variety of current research and focuses on showing that humans are “shaped by the same biogeographical forces that shape other species.” The genetic studies address the history of human diversity, using Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA evidence to support or dispute culturally driven theories of ancient migration. Harcourt discards the biological concept of race as paradoxically hindering a deeper understanding of variance, but he engages with the physical differences between human bodies and the cultural and medical implications of them, addressing such topics as why skin tone varies from region to region or the biological basis of why certain populations have evolved to better digest milk, starches, or seaweed. Harcourt reminds readers that biological conceptions of race should not be confused with sociopolitical conceptions of it, and that there are good reasons to understand the how and why of our biological differences. Maps & illus. [em]Agent: Peter Riva, International Transactions. (June) [/em]