Concise, well-balanced, and comprehensive, ESSENTIALS OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Ninth Edition introduces you to physical anthropology with the goal of helping you understand why it is important to know about human evolution. With a new framework that emphasizes 'connections', the reader is shown how humans are biologically connected to all other life, including our distant ancestors and our contemporary primate cousins, as well as how closely modern human populations are related to each other. Supported by new chapter-opening visual diagrams, a completely new art and map program, outstanding visual photographs and Photo Essays, as well as pedagogy such as "What's Important" boxes that put key chapter concepts into perspective for students, this text continues to help students master basic biological principles of physical anthropology and so be able to better understand human origins and our place in the biological world. Altogether, ESSENTIALS OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Ninth Edition integrates coverage of the latest fossil finds with relevant technologies to be the most up-to-date text available.