Editing Milford H. Wolpoff

{{Short description|American paleoanthropologist}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name              = Milford H. Wolpoff
| image             = 
| image_size        = 
| alt               =
| caption           = 
| birth_date        = 1942
| birth_place       = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]
| death_date        = 
| death_place       =
| nationality       =American
| fields            = [[Anthropology]]
| workplaces        = [[University of Michigan]]
| alma_mater        = [[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign]]
| doctoral_advisor  = Eugene Giles
| academic_advisors = 
| doctoral_students =
| notable_students  =[[Tim D. White]]<br>[[Mary Doria Russell]]<br>[[John D. Hawks]]
| known_for         =[[Multiregional origin of modern humans]]
| author_abbrev_bot =
| author_abbrev_zoo =
| awards            = ''Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award'' (2011)<br>''W.W. Howells Book Prize'' (1999)
}}

'''Milford Howell Wolpoff''' is a [[paleoanthropologist]] and professor of [[anthropology]] at the [[University of Michigan]] and its museum of Anthropology. He is the leading proponent of the [[Multiregional hypothesis|multiregional evolution hypothesis]] that explains the evolution of ''[[Human|Homo sapiens]]'' as a consequence of evolutionary processes and gene flow across continents within a single species.  Wolpoff authored the widely used textbook ''Paleoanthropology'' (1980 and 1999 eds.),<ref>{{cite book|author=M.H. Wolpoff|title=Paleoanthropology|asin= B010WEX0HS|year=1998|publisher=McGraw-Hill|location=New York}}</ref> and co-authored ''Race and Human Evolution: A Fatal Attraction'', which reviews the scientific evidence and conflicting theories about the interpretation of human evolution, and biological anthropology's relationship to views about race.<ref name=bro>{{cite web |author= Brockman J |title=  Milford H. Wolpoff |date= 2012 |url= http://edge.org/memberbio/milford_h_wolpoff | work= Edge |publisher=  Edge Foundation, Inc |access-date=2013-04-29}}</ref><ref name=uni>{{cite web|title=  Milford Wolpoff (The Department of Anthropology)|url=  http://www.lsa.umich.edu/anthro/people/faculty/ci.wolpoffmilford_ci.detail|work=  University of Michigan|access-date=  2013-04-29|archive-url=  https://web.archive.org/web/20151030100012/http://www.lsa.umich.edu/anthro/people/faculty/ci.wolpoffmilford_ci.detail|archive-date=  2015-10-30|url-status=  dead}}</ref>

Wolpoff is best known for his vocal support of the multiregional model of [[human evolution]] when it was challenged by<!-- The multiregional hypothesis is a few years older than the Out of Africa hypothesis. --> the '[[Recent single-origin hypothesis|Out of Africa]]' theory.  The basis for advancing the multiregional interpretation stems from his skepticism of [[punctuated equilibrium]] (the idea evolution typically proceeds with long static periods and abrupt changes, instead of gradual modification during [[speciation]]) as an accurate model for [[Pleistocene]] humanity, noting that speciation played a role earlier in human evolution.<ref name=lee>{{cite journal|vauthors=Lee SH, Wolpoff MH |year=2003|title= The pattern of evolution in Pleistocene human brain size| url= http://paleobiol.geoscienceworld.org/content/29/2/186.abstract| journal= Paleobiology |volume=29 |issue=2|pages= 186–196 |doi= 10.1666/0094-8373(2003)029<0186:TPOEIP>2.0.CO;2 }}</ref>{{clarify|reason=Might the link between the disbelief in punctuated equilibrium and the multiregional hypothesis be clarified? I don't believe in punctuated equilibria but I do believe in the Out of Arica hypothesis. The former does not at all imply the latter.|date=August 2017}}

==Education==
Wolpoff was born in 1942 to Ruth (Silver) and Ben Wolpoff, in [[Chicago]]. He received an [[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]] in 1964 with a major in anthropology and a minor in [[mathematics]], and a [[PhD]] in 1969 in physical anthropology, with minors in [[zoology]] and [[archaeology]], from the [[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign|University of Illinois]] in [[Urbana, Illinois]]. His research advisor and intellectual mentor was Eugene Giles.<ref name=cur>{{cite web |title=Curriculum Vitae: Milford H. Wolpoff|url=http://www-personal.umich.edu/~wolpoff/Vitae.htm|publisher=University of Michigan |access-date=2013-04-29}}</ref> He joined the faculty of the [[University of Michigan]] in 1971, and became a professor of [[anthropology]] in 1977.<ref name=uni/>

==Professional work==
Wolpoff was trained primarily as a paleoanthropologist at the University of Illinois under Eugene Giles.  With his multidisciplinary training, he brings to the study of the human and non-human primate fossil record a background that combines evolutionary theory, population genetics, and biomechanics. With over 50 grants funded by the [[National Science Foundation]], [[United States National Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences]], and the University of Michigan, Wolpoff has visited the museums where human and primate fossils are stored and has studied in detail and at length all the materials addressing the fossil evidence for human evolution across Europe, Asia, and Africa. His research foci have included the evolution and fate of the European [[Neandertals]], the role of culture in early [[hominid]] evolution, the nature and explanation of [[allometry]], [[Paranthropus|robust australopithecine]] evolution, the distribution and explanation of [[sexual dimorphism]], hominid origins, the pattern and explanation of [[Australasia]]n hominid evolution, the contributions and role of [[genetics]] in paleoanthropological research, and the [[taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]] of the genus ''Homo''. In addition, he is a primary describer of many hominid fossil remains. Since 1976 Wolpoff has graduated more than 20 PhD students.<ref name=bro/>  
 
===Multiregional evolution and the punctuated equilibrium theory===
{{Main|Multiregional origin of modern humans}}
Drawing on this background and research experience, Wolpoff's continuing research in the last 15 years has been the development, articulation, and defense of his multiregional model of human evolution.<ref>{{cite web |author=Hirst KK |title=Milford Howell Wolpoff |url=http://archaeology.about.com/od/archaeologistsw/g/wolpoffm.htm|work=About.com Guide|access-date=2013-04-29}}</ref> He suggests that after an [[Africa]]n origin of the Homo lineage (including ''[[Homo ergaster]]''/''[[Homo erectus]]'') and the subsequent migration of ''H. erectus'' throughout much of the globe (Africa, [[Europe]], [[Asia]]), local evolutionary events took place, and when they were advantageous, they spread everywhere else. According to Wolpoff, populations of ''Homo'' evolved together as a single species.  Change in Pleistocene populations did not involve speciation (the splitting of one species into two): all this time, the geographically distinct populations maintained small amounts of gene flow. This idea directly challenges the [[Single-origin hypothesis|Out of Africa model]], which claims ''[[Homo sapiens]]'' evolved recently as a new species in Africa, and then dispersed throughout the [[Old World]], replacing the existing human populations without mixing with them.<ref>{{cite web |author=Hirst KK |title=Wolpoff, Milford H. |date=1999 |url=http://www.cirs-tm.org/researchers/researchers.php?id=83|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050226012030/http://www.cirs-tm.org/researchers/researchers.php?id=83|url-status=usurped|archive-date=February 26, 2005|work=Researchers|publisher=International Center for Scientific Research|access-date=2013-04-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Wolpoff MH, Hawks J, Caspari R |year=2000|title=Multiregional, not multiple origins |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34270/1/11_ftp.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34270/1/11_ftp.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |journal=Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. |volume=112 |issue=1|pages=129–136|doi=10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(200005)112:1<129::AID-AJPA11>3.0.CO;2-K |pmid=10766948|hdl=2027.42/34270|hdl-access=free }}</ref>

His theory evoked rivalry with the proponents of [[punctuated equilibrium]], [[Stephen Jay Gould]] and [[Niles Eldredge]], who endorsed ''H. erectus'' as a model of their theory.<ref name=lee/><ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Wolpoff MH, Caspari R |year=2002|title=Response to 'Grappling with the Ghost of Gould' by David P. Barash (letter to the editor)| url=http://human-nature.com/nibbs/02/wolpoff.html| journal=Human Nature Review |volume=2 |pages=297 }}</ref> In an earlier example of [[punctuated equilibrium|punctuated evolution]] preceding the global diffusion of ''Homo sapiens'' genes from Africa, some two million years ago, Wolpoff points to evidence of an earlier 'genetic revolution' that took place in a small group isolated from australopithecine forebears. "The earliest ''H. sapiens'' remains differ significantly from australopithecines in both size and anatomical details," he notes,  "Insofar as we can tell, these changes were sudden and not gradual."<ref>{{cite web |title=Human ancestors make evolutionary changes|date=4 May 1984 |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Human+ancestors+make+evolutionary+changes.-a03762051|work=The Free Library|publisher=Science Service, Inc.|access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref>

==Awards and honours==
Wolpoff is a member of many anthropological organizations, and is an Honorary Life Member of the Honor Society of [[Phi Kappa Phi]], a Fellow of the [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]] (in 2001) and Fellow of the [[American Anthropological Association]]. Some notable awards are<ref name=cur />
*''LS&A Excellence in Education Award'' in 1998
*''W.W. Howells Book Prize in Biological Anthropology'', presented by the Biological Anthropology Section of the American Anthropological Association in 1999
*''Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger Award'' at the Krapina 1899–1999 Conference, presented by the Croatian Natural History Museum
*''Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer'' of 2001–2004
*''Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award'' from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in 2011<ref>{{cite web |author=Hagen E |title=Darwin award 2011: Milford Wolpoff |date=11 March 2011 |url=http://physanth.org/news/darwin-award-2011-milford-wolpoff |work=American Association of Physical Anthropologists |access-date=2013-04-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826015719/http://www.physanth.org/news/darwin-award-2011-milford-wolpoff |archive-date=26 August 2011 }}</ref>

==Media==

===Books and monographs===

*1971  ''Metric Trends in Hominid Dental Evolution''.  Case Western Reserve Studies in Anthropology 2.  Case Western Reserve University Press, Cleveland;  244 pp.
*1976 William R. Farrand, Richard W. Redding, Milford H. Wolpoff, and Henry T. Wright, III). ''An Archaeological Investigation on the Loboi Plain, Baringo District, Kenya''.  Museum of Anthropology, The University of Michigan Technical Reports Number 4, Research Reports in Archaeology, Contribution 1, Ann Arbor.
*1980 ''Paleoanthropology''.  Knopf, New York; 379 pp.&nbsp; {{ISBN|0-394-32197-9}}
*1988 Jakov Radovčić, Fred H. Smith, Erik Trinkaus, and Milford H. Wolpoff . ''The Krapina Hominids: An Illustrated Catalog of the Skeletal Collection''.  Mladost Press and the Croatian Natural History Museum, Zagreb.
*1994  ''Paleoanthropology''.  Preliminary publication of the 2nd edition. College Custom Series, McGraw-Hill, New York.  {{ISBN|0-07-071679-X}}
*1995  ''Human Evolution''.  1996 edition. College Custom Series, McGraw-Hill, New York.  {{ISBN|0-07-071827-X}}
*1996  ''Human Evolution''.  1996-1997 edition. College Custom Series, McGraw-Hill, New York.  {{ISBN|0-07-071833-4}}
*1997 Milford H. Wolpoff and Rachel Caspari:  ''Race and Human Evolution''.  Simon and Schuster, New York. {{ISBN|0-684-81013-1}}.  Published in paperback in 1998 by Westview press {{ISBN|0-8133-3546-9}}.  ''A Canadian National Institute for the Blind talking book RC18623'' (4 cassettes, narrated by Roy Avers).  
*1999	''Paleoanthropology''. 2nd edition. McGraw-Hill, New York.  {{ISBN|0-07-071676-5}}.  Reviewed by A. Bilsborough (2001) Clash of the Titans.  Journal of Human Evolution 41:701-709.

His work with Rachel Caspari, ''Race and Human Evolution'' earned them the ''W.W. Howells Book Prize'' in 1999. Besides these, he has published 5 other books, 160 papers, and 22 book reviews, 
has presented numerous lectures and meetings papers, and has had many interviews and video appearances.

===Magazines and films===

Wolpoff has also appeared in ''The [[New York Times]]'', ''[[New Scientist]]'', ''[[World Archaeology]]'', ''[[Discover (magazine)|Discover]]'', and ''[[Newsweek]]''.<ref name=bro/>  He has appeared in numerous video documentaries, notable ones include<ref name=cur/><ref>{{cite web|title=Curriculum vitae : Milford H. Wolpoff|date=21 November 2012|url=http://en.convdocs.org/docs/index-5664.html?page=4|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130703233943/http://en.convdocs.org/docs/index-5664.html?page=4|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 July 2013|work=en.convdocs.org|access-date=2013-04-30}}</ref>  
*''Origins'' ([[SABC]]) in 1990
*''Beyond 2000'' (Video Australia), ''The Roots of Humanity'' ([[NHK]]) and ''The Dawn of Humankind'' ([[PBS]]) in 1992
*''Apeman'' (4 part series produced by [[Granada TV]]), ''Dead Men Talk'' (Equinox), ''Wir Neandertaler'' ([[ORF (broadcaster)|ORF]]) and ''Paleoworld: Missing Links'' ([[New Dominion Pictures|New Dominion]] in 1994)
*''Paleoworld: Trail of the Neanderthal'' ([[TLC (TV channel)|TLC]]) in 1995
*''Ancient Mysteries: The Fate of the Neandertals'' (A&E), '' The Last Neandertal'' (Discovery) and ''Bipedalism and Human Evolution'' (TCJ) in 1997
*''Neanderthals on Trial'' ([[Nova (American TV series)|''Nova'']]) and ''Creationism and Evolution'' (PBS) in 2002
*''The Lapedo Child'' (Anglica Television) in 2003

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www-personal.umich.edu/~wolpoff/ University of Michigan]
*[http://www.grahamhancock.com/interviews/MilfordHWolpoff.php March 2012 GHMB community interview with Milford H. Wolpoff]
*[http://discovermagazine.com/2001/jun/breakdialogue#.UX6AyUouLIU Discover: Milford Wolpoff Evolution Enough for Everyone]
*[http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=10958 Rate My Professors]
*[https://www.amazon.com/Milford-Wolpoff/e/B000APHNMS Author profile at Amazon]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160204212646/http://www.encyclopedia4u.com/m/milford-h-wolpoff.html Encyclopedia profile]
*[http://www.omnilexica.com/?q=Milford+H.+Wolpoff Omnilexica online dictionary]
*[https://archive.today/20130703111740/http://www.mauspfeil.net/Milford_H.%20Wolpoff.html Dictionary of Meaning]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolpoff, Milford H.}}
[[Category:American paleoanthropologists]]
[[Category:Human evolution theorists]]
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:University of Michigan faculty]]
[[Category:Recent African origin of modern humans]]
[[Category:University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni]]
[[Category:Scientists from Michigan]]
[[Category:20th-century American scientists]]
[[Category:21st-century American scientists]]
[[Category:People involved in race and intelligence controversies]]