
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
Edible Insects and Human Evolution
About this book
Researchers who study ancient human diets tend to focus on meat eating because the practice of butchery is very apparent in the archaeological record. In this volume, Julie Lesnik highlights a different food source, tracing evidence that humans and their hominin ancestors also consumed insects throughout the entire course of human evolution.
Lesnik combines primatology, sociocultural anthropology, reproductive physiology, and paleoanthropology to examine the role of insects in the diets of hunter-gatherers and our nonhuman primate cousins. She posits that women would likely spend more time foraging for and eating insects than men, arguing that this pattern is important to note because women are too often ignored in reconstructions of ancient human behavior. Because of the abundance of insects and the low risk of acquiring them, insects were a reliable food source that mothers used to feed their families over the past five million years.
Although they are consumed worldwide to this day, insects are not usually considered food in Western societies. Tying together ancient history with our modern lives, Lesnik points out that insects are highly nutritious and a very sustainable protein alternative. She believes that if we accept that edible insects are a part of the human legacy, we may have new conversations about what is good to eat—both in past diets and for the future of food.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Edible Insects and Human Evolution by Julie J. Lesnik in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Evolution. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Publisher
University Press of FloridaYear
2019Print ISBN
9780813064314, 9780813056999eBook ISBN
9780813065083Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Maps
- List of Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1. Introduction to Entomophagy Anthropology
- 2. Understanding the Ick Factor
- 3. Ethnographic Examples of Insect Foraging
- 4. Nutrition and Reproductive Ecology
- 5. Insect Eating in Nonhuman Primates
- 6. Reconstructing the Role of Insects in the Diets of Early Hominins
- 7. Edible Insects and the Genus Homo
- 8. The Potential for Future Discovery: Testing Hypotheses of Edible Insects
- 9. Going Forward: Getting Over Our Obsession with Meat
- Notes
- References
- Index