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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... simply represent the time , peering back into the past , when we stop seeing genetic diversity in our mtDNA and Y - chromosome lineages . Since mtDNA and the Y - chromosome are completely independent parts of our genetic tapestry , it ...
... simply don't provide enough nourishment . Animals , particularly mammals , provide a high - calorie diet rich in protein . And it was the necessity of hunting and killing the mammals of the grasslands , as well as escaping the ...
... simply one population movement into Europe there is clear archaeological evidence for several others . As their later analysis showed , it still accounted for a minority of the genetic variation in Europe . Furthermore , because the ...