(24 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture) Taught by Barbara J. King The College of William and Mary Ph.D., University of Oklahoma
When we consider ourselves, not as static beings fixed in time but as dynamic, ever-changing creatures, our viewpoint of human history becomes different and captivating. The crucial element of "time depth" has revolutionized the very questions we ask about ourselves. "Who are we?" has turned into "What have we become? What are we becoming?" What makes this viewpoint possible is the evolutionary perspective offered by biological anthropology through the study of the evolution, genetics, anatomy, and modern variation within the human species.
The scientifi c study of the eye is believed to have originated with the Greek physician Herophilus, who lived from about 335 to 280 BCE. Indeed, from his work came the words that we use today to describe the various parts of the eye, including the words retina and cornea.
Childhood is a stage in the process of that continual remanufacture of the Life Stuff by which the human race is perpetuated. The Life Force either will not or cannot achieve immortality except in very low organisms: indeed it is by no means ascertained that even the amoeba is immortal. Human beings visibly wear out, though they last longer than their friends the dogs. Turtles, parrots, and elephants are believed to be capable of outliving the memory of the oldest human inhabitant. But the fact that new ones are born conclusively proves that they are not immortal.
Byron Rogers' latest collection of travel pieces follows the winning formula of his previous book, An Audience with an Elephant, as he goes in search of a remarkable array of quirky, whimsical, and singular individuals. But in addition to meeting a pensioner on a holiday who decided to swim across the Amazon, this book sees Rogers meeting a number of undeniably famous people. But as one might expect, Rogers' encounters with celebrity have their own unexpected outcomes. Burt Lancaster rants to him about transsexuality...
Internationally bestselling author and world-famous human behaviorist Desmond Morris turns his attention to the female form, taking the reader on a guided tour of the female body from head to toe. Highlighting the evolutionary functions of various physiological traits, Morris's study explores the various forms of enhancement and constraint that human societies have developed in the quest for the perfect female form.
