The Journey of Man: A Genetic OdysseyPenguin Adult, 2003 M05 29 - 224 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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... occurred immediately after M168 on our main line into Eurasia , has been dated using the absolute method detailed above to around 40,000 years ago . Due to possible errors in the assumptions that go into the calculation , particularly ...
... occurred approximately 35,000 years ago in central Asia . Today , M45 is found only in central Asians and those who trace their ancestry to this region - thus , it defines a central Asian clan . Descendants of the central Asian clan occur ...
... occur . The massive growth in population during the Neolithic created con- ditions in which some form of social stratification was inevitable . Once this occurred , the seizure of power and the growth of empires was not far behind ...