Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past in Science and Inquiry

Mar 23, 2022 Jim rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science, 2non-fiction, 1audio

Overall, interesting & would have been a lot better if the editor had given him a limited space in which to make his arguments. The science got a solid 5 stars, the delivery wandered between 2 & 3 stars. I'd give this 4 stars if I was feeling generous, but he put my teeth on edge a little too often.

The Good: Well narrated & full of really interesting findings even if many are somewhat iffy due to new methods & small sets for statistical analysis. They certainly open our eyes to the complexity of ...more

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Apr 21, 2018 Steve Van Slyke rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science, paleoanthropology, evolution, genetics

Having read earlier books on this topic by Svante Paabo, Spencer Wells and others I was anxious to read something current. I wasn't disappointed. This, as others have said, is an excellent summary of the state of genetic research using ancient DNA to determine how we all got to where we are today. The only downside is that the rate of advancement in the field--as the author states--is so high at the moment that unless you read this within two to three years of publication it may well be out of d Having read earlier books on this topic by Svante Paabo, Spencer Wells and others I was anxious to read something current. I wasn't disappointed. This, as others have said, is an excellent summary of the state of genetic research using ancient DNA to determine how we all got to where we are today. The only downside is that the rate of advancement in the field--as the author states--is so high at the moment that unless you read this within two to three years of publication it may well be out of date.

The author emphasizes the importance of "whole genome" research, pointing out that the companies providing genetic information to the public today are primarily using only mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA, which only tell the story of two lineages out of thousands.

Some key points for me were that the history of humankind is not like a tree with branches that separate and never rejoin. Ancient DNA has revealed that it is more like a trellis or a braided stream where lineages branch off but then often merge at some later point, Homo sapiens and Neanderthals being just one example of many.

Another interesting point was that Northern Europeans are more closely related to Native Americans than they are to East Asians. This is due to an ancient population of north Eurasians that no longer exist, but when they did they spread west and east across Europe and Siberia and thus contributed ancestry to the people that left northeast Asia to cross Beringia as well as modern north Europeans. Similar stories are recounted for other modern day groups such as those from India and Oceania.

One final story of personal interest is that ancient DNA research has revealed that the sub-Saharan tribe that is most closely related to all non-African people today are the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania. Coincidentally I was in Tanzania a little over a year ago and had the pleasure of going on a hunt with a small band of Hadza men. They are rapidly being squeezed out of their ancestral hunting territories and number less than 1500 individuals today, so it was very special to spend a day with them.

This is a very worthwhile read, but don't leave it your bookshelf unread for too long. ...more

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Oct 18, 2018 Mitchell Friedman rated it really liked it

Shelves: science, history, library, liked-reviews, nonfiction, favorites, published-2018

A tough book in parts. And flawed like anything you'd expect from someone who normally doesn't write books or write for general audiences. But definitely the best book I've read on what's going on in the study of dna as it relates to human history and migration and so forth. For sure the most science I've seen in one of these books as well. There's hints of math and statistics though not enough for my data and math friends but also not too much. I think I missed a lot of this book but I got the ...more

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Oct 10, 2022 Bel rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, science, history

Fascinating subject matter pushes this great popsci book up to 4 stars. Both the techniques and the results of ancient DNA analysis are engrossing, and it's amazing how fast this field is moving. I liked the fact that Reich didn't shy away from the ethics of the field, while clearly giving his own view. This book also neatly gave me background to the Nobel Prize for Medicine awarded the week after I finished it, which was handy! ...more

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