The Journey of Man: A Genetic OdysseyPenguin Adult, 2003 M05 29 - 288 pages Around 60,000 years ago, a man, identical to us in all important respects, walked the soil of Africa. Every man alive today is descended from him. How did he come to be father to all of us - a real-life Adam? And why do we come in such a huge variety of sizes, shapes, types and races if we all share a single prehistoric ancestor?
In this fascinating book, Spencer Wells shows how the truth about our ancestors is hidden in our genetic code, and reveals how developments in the cutting-edge science of population genetics have made it possible not just to discover where our ancestors lived (and who they may have fought, loved, learned from and influence) but to create a family tree for the whole of humanity. |
From inside the book
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... appear on New Year's Day . In that case , our first hominid ancestors to walk upright – the first ape - men , in effect - would appear around the end of October . Homo erectus , who left Africa around 2 million years ago , would appear ...
... appear to be older than those found further north , suggesting a later migration originating in the tropics . These results , coupled with a lack of archaeological evidence for modern human occupation until after 40,000 years ago ...
... appear to be quite old , consistent with the fact that they were present in the ancestral population before our journey out of Africa . Furthermore , human ' races ' seem to have very recent origins . For the most part , physical traits ...