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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... climate has fluctuated dramatically in the past few hundred thousand years . The field of palaeoclimatology investigates the climate of bygone eras . The earth at 150,000 years ago was nearing the end of what is known as the Riss ...
... climate . For example , the cave at Zhoukoudian , where many erectus remains have been found , is located in north - eastern China , near Beijing - a region that experiences extremely cold winters even today . During the intense cold of ...
... climate encouraged the growth of large stands of cereals and nut - bearing trees at higher latitudes than during the ice age , allowing the Natufians to exploit these new resources . By specializ- ing on plentiful species , they were ...