A Leverhulme Public Lecture Series
GHOSTLY MUSCLES, WRINKLED BRAINS, HERESIES AND HOBBITS
This page intentionally left blank
A Leverhulme Public Lecture Series
GHOSTLY MUSCLES, WRINKLED BRAINS, HERESIES AND HOBBITS
Charles Oxnard The University of Western Australia
World Scientific NEW JERSEY
•
LONDON
•
SINGAPORE
•
BEIJING
•
SHANGHAI
•
HONG KONG
•
TA I P E I
•
CHENNAI
Published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Oxnard, Charles E., 1933Ghostly muscles, wrinkled brains, heresies, and Hobbits : a Leverhulme public lecture series / Charles Oxnard. p. ; cm. ISBN-13: 978-981-279-742-1 (hardcover) ISBN-10: 981-279-742-4 (hardcover) ISBN-13: 978-981-279-743-8 (softcover) ISBN-10: 981-279-743-2 (softcover) 1. Anatomy. 2. Human evolution. 3. Physical anthropology. I. Title. [DNLM: 1. Anatomy. 2. Evolution. 3. Adaptation, Physiological. 4. Anthropology, Physical. 5. Research--methods. GN 281 O98g 2008] QM23.2.O96 2008 611--dc22 2008033972
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Copyright © 2008 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the Publisher.
For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher.
Typeset by Stallion Press Email:
[email protected]
Printed in Singapore.
To my wife Eleanor who has been in my work and my life for 50 years and To the memory of Peter Lisowski, my colleague and friend for even longer.
This page intentionally left blank
Preface
Why This Particular Book? After I retired I received a Leverhulme Trust Professorship to be held for 1 year in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College, London, and the Department of Human Anatomy and