Contested Bones Book by Dr. John Sanford & Christopher Rupe | FMS – General Science

Contested Bones

Scientists make new fossil discoveries all the time. They often promote these new findings to the world as compelling evidence for ape-to-man evolution. Meanwhile, paleoanthropologists, the actual experts in the field, dispute almost every major claim, including the ancestral status of “Lucy” and the latest findings such as Australopithecus sediba and Homo naledi. Unfortunately, the media and educators do not widely communicate the full controversy to students and the general public. Does the fossil record actually reveal an ape-to-man progression? Why haven’t we been told the full story of these hotly contested bones?

In Contested Bones, Rupe and Sanford have thoroughly investigated, from the primary sources, the fossil evidence for human evolution. This book is the result of four years of intense research into the primary scientific literature concerning those bones thought to represent transitional forms between ape and man. The reality is, all the famous “hominin” bones are still fiercely contested today within the field of paleoanthropology.

Contested Bones is unique in that it is the most comprehensive, systematic, and up-to-date book available that critically examines the major claims about the various hominin fossils. Even though the topic is technical, the book is accessible for a broad audience and is engaging even for nontechnical people.

Contested Bones provides new insights regarding the history of paleoanthropology, and the sequence of discoveries that bring us up to the current state of confusion within the field. The authors provide alternative interpretations of the hominin species. Surprisingly, the conclusions of the authors consistently find strong support from various experts within the field.

Contested Bones addresses a wide variety of important topics… “Which, if any, of the species gave rise to man?” “Did ‘Lucy’s’ kind walk upright like modern humans, or did they live among the trees like ordinary apes?” “Was ‘Ardi’ the earliest human ancestor?” “Were ‘Erectus’ and the newly discovered ‘Naledi’ sub-human or were they fully human?” “What are the implications of the growing evidence that shows man coexisted with the australopithecine apes?” “Are the dating method consistently reliable?” “What does the latest genetic evidence reveal?” “Can we be certain that man evolved from an australopith ape?”

Contested Bones brings clarity to a fascinating but complex subject. And it offers refreshing new insights into how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

370 pages