Provides some background information on the contributions of Louis Agassiz and Asa Gray to the history of American science as these two men disagreed concerning the ideas in Darwin's "The Orgin of Species." (PB)

Reports on a language evolution theory based on the factors (1) the survival value of speech, (2) associated behavior patterns, and (3) brain structure development. (CP)

One of the truly remarkable events in human evolution is the unprecedented increase in the size of the brain of "Homo" over a brief span of 2 million years. It would appear that some significant selective pressure or opportunity presented itself to this branch of the hominid line and caused a rapid increase in the brain, introducing a…

Written in 1964, the document represents experimental material of the Anthropology Curriculum Study Project. The objectives of the project were to discuss the evolution of man as distinguished from the evolution of other species and as related to culture, and to emphasize human diversity. Three brief essays are presented. The first, "The…

The paper presents data collected by an opinionnaire instrument during the fall of 1975 from people in Tennessee. Though the sample was not randomly selected, an effort was made to include persons from various (adult) age groups, sexes, occupations, and educational levels. The majority of the 404 who responded came from rural or small town…

In this paper the author examines the question of whether evolution is a theory or a dogma. He refutes the contention that there is a monolithic scientific conspiracy to present evolution as dogma and suggests that his own presentation might be more appropriately entitled "Creationism: Theory or Dogma." (PEB)

Herbert Spencer's theories of social evolution are examined. Spencer's growing contemporary relevance is emphasized. (DE)

This article is based on slides taken during a visit to the Lesser Antilles to investigate the physical origin of the islands, their biological development, and the effect of human occupations on the natural habitat of the islands. (Author/BB)

In this article a philosophy teacher looks at some of the questions raised by the concept of evolution and what biologists have said about them throughout the ages. (BB)

Discusses the coevaluation of species within ecosystems. This process gives rise to interesting patterns in the total number of species found in a given area, in their relative abundances, and in the overall structure of the local food web. (Author/MA)

Discusses recent fossil evidence indicating that human-like creatures branched off from other primates over four million years ago. Homo sapiens is believed to have appeared only 100,000 years ago. (MA)

The earliest human females, previously ignored in evolutionary reconstructions, are interpreted as playing a critical role in the success of the species. It is suggested that prehistoric males and females were interdependent, both in sharing food and cooperating in nurturing the young. (Author/KR)

There are some important similarities between biological and societal evolution, but these similarities should not blind the enormous differences between them. Each system must be analyzed on its own merits and according to its own peculiar properties and principles. (Author/AM)

There is no clearly defined, universally accepted evolutionary theory that social anthropologists must accept. There has been great progress in the understanding of genetic mechanisms, but there are still major controversies. The most fundamental problem comes from postulating genes to account for behaviors. (Author/AM)