The Journey of Man - Spencer Wells

The Journey of Man

A Genetic Odyssey

(Autor)

Buch | Hardcover
256 Seiten
2003
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-11532-0 (ISBN)
37,40 inkl. MwSt
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Reveals how developments in the cutting-edge science of population genetics have made it possible to create a family tree for the whole of humanity. This work tells us that we can trace our origins back to a single Adam and Eve, but that Eve came first by some 80,000 years.
Around 60,000 years ago, a man--identical to us in all important respects--lived in Africa. Every person alive today is descended from him. How did this real-life Adam wind up 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? Showing how the secrets about our ancestors are hidden in our genetic code, Spencer Wells reveals how developments in the cutting-edge science of population genetics have made it possible to create a family tree for the whole of humanity. We now know not only where our ancestors lived but who they fought, loved, and influenced. Informed by this new science, The Journey of Man is replete with astonishing information. Wells tells us that we can trace our origins back to a single Adam and Eve, but that Eve came first by some 80,000 years.
We hear how the male Y-chromosome has been used to trace the spread of humanity from Africa into Eurasia, why differing racial types emerged when mountain ranges split population groups, and that the San Bushmen of the Kalahari have some of the oldest genetic markers in the world. We learn, finally with absolute certainty, that Neanderthals are not our ancestors and that the entire genetic diversity of Native Americans can be accounted for by just ten individuals. It is an enthralling, epic tour through the history and development of early humankind--as well as an accessible look at the analysis of human genetics that is giving us definitive answers to questions we have asked for centuries, questions now more compelling than ever.

Spencer Wells was formerly head of the population genetics research group at Oxford University's Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics and is currently a consultant to the biotechnology industry. The writer and presenter of the science film "The Journey of Man", he has been a consulting scientist for several other film productions.

List of Maps xi List of Figures xii Preface xiii Chapter 1: The Diverse Ape 1 Chapter 2: E pluribus unum 14 Chapter 3: Eve's Mate 41 Chapter 4: Coasting Away 61 Chapter 5: Leaps and Bounds 81 Chapter 6: The Main Line 100 Chapter 7: Blood from a Stone 122 Chapter 8: The Importance of Culture 146 Chapter 9: The Final Big Bang 184 Acknowledgements 197 Further Reading 199 Index of Pictures 208 Index 214

Erscheint lt. Verlag 12.1.2003
Zusatzinfo 3 Maps
Verlagsort New Jersey
Sprache englisch
Maße 152 x 235 mm
Gewicht 539 g
Themenwelt Naturwissenschaften Biologie Genetik / Molekularbiologie
Naturwissenschaften Biologie Humanbiologie
ISBN-10 0-691-11532-X / 069111532X
ISBN-13 978-0-691-11532-0 / 9780691115320
Zustand Neuware
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