| Description |
1 online resource (xi, 382 pages) : illustrations. |
| Physical Medium |
polychrome |
| Description |
text file |
| Series |
Cambridge studies in biological and evolutionary anthropology ; 58
|
|
Cambridge studies in biological and evolutionary anthropology ; 58.
|
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 302-362) and index. |
| Summary |
"This comprehensive synthesis of current medical and evolutionary literature addresses key questions about the role body fat plays in human biology. It explores how body energy stores are regulated, how they develop over the life-course, what biological functions they serve, and how they may have evolved. There is now substantial evidence that human adiposity is not merely a buffer against the threat of starvation, but is also a resource for meeting the energy costs of growth, reproduction and immune function. As such it may be considered as important in our species evolution as other traits such as bipedalism, large brains, and long life spans and developmental periods. Indeed, adiposity is integrally linked with these other traits, and with our capacity to colonise and inhabit diverse ecosystems. It is because human metabolism is so sensitive to environmental cues that manipulative economic forces are now generating the current obesity epidemic"--Provided by publisher. |
| Contents |
Human fatness in broad context -- Proximate causes of lipid deposition and oxidation -- The ontogenetic development of adiposity -- The life-course induction of adiposity -- The fitness value of fat -- The evolutionary biology of adipose tissue -- Adiposity in hominin evolution -- Adiposity in human evolution -- The evolution of human obesity. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
| Subject |
Adipose tissues -- Evolution.
|
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Adipose tissues. |
|
Evolution. |
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Human evolution.
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Human evolution. |
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Obesity.
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Obesity. |
| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
|
| Other Form: |
Print version: Wells, Jonathan C.K. Evolutionary biology of human body fatness. Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2010 9780521884204 (DLC) 2009037302 (OCoLC)436387222 |
| ISBN |
9780511691355 (electronic book) |
|
0511691351 (electronic book) |
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9780521884204 (hardback) |
|
0521884209 (hardback) |
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