The Journey of Man: A Genetic OdysseyRandom House Publishing Group, 2012 M10 31 - 240 pages Around 60,000 years ago, a man—genetically identical to us—lived in Africa. Every person alive today is descended from him. How did this real-life Adam wind up as the father of us all? What happened to the descendants of other men who lived at the same time? And why, if modern humans share a single prehistoric ancestor, do we come in so many sizes, shapes, and races? Examining the hidden secrets of human evolution in our genetic code, Spencer Wells reveals how developments in the revolutionary science of population genetics have made it possible to create a family tree for the whole of humanity. Replete with marvelous anecdotes and remarkable information, from the truth about the real Adam and Eve to the way differing racial types emerged, The Journey of Man is an enthralling, epic tour through the history and development of early humankind. |
From inside the book
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Page xvi
A Genetic Odyssey Spencer Wells. both in the course of sample-collecting expeditions in Asia and during the making of the film. He is a talented and dedicated artist, and his work adds enormously to the book. Mark's photographs reflect ...
A Genetic Odyssey Spencer Wells. both in the course of sample-collecting expeditions in Asia and during the making of the film. He is a talented and dedicated artist, and his work adds enormously to the book. Mark's photographs reflect ...
Page 10
A Genetic Odyssey Spencer Wells. provides solace for those who lie awake at night worrying about interracial mixing: Racial inrermixture can upset the genetic as well as the social equilibrium of a group, and so, newly introduced genes ...
A Genetic Odyssey Spencer Wells. provides solace for those who lie awake at night worrying about interracial mixing: Racial inrermixture can upset the genetic as well as the social equilibrium of a group, and so, newly introduced genes ...
Page 12
... genetics and the wealth of emerging data from physical anthropology. Once it got going, though, there was no ... gene pool of humanity through the selective breeding of 'fit' individuals. Its influence spread rapidly to the United States ...
... genetics and the wealth of emerging data from physical anthropology. Once it got going, though, there was no ... gene pool of humanity through the selective breeding of 'fit' individuals. Its influence spread rapidly to the United States ...
Page 14
A Genetic Odyssey Spencer Wells. 2 E p/ur/bus um um What we call the beginning is often the end And to make an end is to ... genes control this variability. Even today, the underlying genetic causes have yet to be deciphered. Thinking of ...
A Genetic Odyssey Spencer Wells. 2 E p/ur/bus um um What we call the beginning is often the end And to make an end is to ... genes control this variability. Even today, the underlying genetic causes have yet to be deciphered. Thinking of ...
Page 15
A Genetic Odyssey Spencer Wells. individuals are - in particular whether they form a single species - it is important to know something about their genes. If the genes are the same, then they are the same species. What physical ...
A Genetic Odyssey Spencer Wells. individuals are - in particular whether they form a single species - it is important to know something about their genes. If the genes are the same, then they are the same species. What physical ...
Contents
1 | |
4Coasting Away | 61 |
Leaps and Bounds 8 | 81 |
Blood from a Stone 8The Importance of Culture 6 | 184 |
Acknowledgements | 197 |
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Common terms and phrases
actually Adam Africa agriculture analysis ancient animals anthropologists apes appear archaeological Asian Australia Cavalli-Sforza cent central Asia China chromosomes clan classification climate coastal colleagues common ancestor continent culture Darwin defined descendants developed difficult earliest early human east Asia Eurasian Europe Europeans evidence evolution evolutionary expansion favour field find first frequency genes genetic data genetic diversity genetic variation geneticists genome hominid Homo erectus human genetic human migration human populations hunter-gatherers hunting ice age impala India Indo-European Indo-European languages infer ingredients journey known languages leap lifestyle linguistic living marker Middle East Middle Eastern migration mitochondrial DNA modern humans molecules mtDNA mutations Native Americans Neanderthals Neolithic northern nucleotide origin past perhaps polymorphisms population genetics recent region route sample scientific Siberia significant simply soup recipes south-east Asia southern species spoken spread steppe suggests thousands trace unique Upper Palaeolithic western Y-chromosome lineages