|
The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey | 
 enlarge | Author: Spencer Wells
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Buy New: $10.17
New (37) Used (48) from $5.65
Media: Paperback
Pages: 240
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.5
ISBN: 0812971469
Dewey Decimal Number: 599.938
EAN: 9780812971460
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Spencer Wells traces human evolution back to our very first ancestor in The Journey of Man. Along the way, he sums up the explosive effect of new techniques in genetics on the field of evolutionary biology and all available evidence from the fossil record. Wells's seemingly sexist title is purposeful: he argues that the Y chromosome gives us a unique opportunity to follow our migratory heritage back to a sort of Adam, just as earlier work in mitochondrial DNA allowed the identification of Eve, mother of all Homo sapiens. While his descriptions of the advances made by such luminary scientists as Richard Lewontin and Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza can be dry, Wells comes through with sparkling metaphors when it counts, as when he compares genetic drift to a bouillabaisse recipe handed down through a village's generations. Though finding our primal male is an exciting prospect, the real revolution Wells describes is racial. Or rather, nonracial, as he reiterates the scientific truth that our notions of what makes us different from each other are purely cultural, not based in biology. The case for an "out of Africa" scenario of human migration is solid in this book, though Wells makes it clear when he is hypothesizing anything controversial. Readers interested in a fairly technical, but not overwhelming, summary of the remarkable conclusions of 21st-century human evolutionary biology will find The Journey of Man a perfect primer. --Therese Littleton
Product Description
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.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 57 more reviews...
 Fascinating topic April 24, 2009
bluecloud (NJ, USA)
I would recommend the book especially for those who want to delve deeper into the topic after watching the PBS documentary with the same name. It is a well written book. When going over the topics of DNA, Y chromosome, gene mutation, etc, if the author had doodled a couple very basic sketches - without turning it into a biology book - it would have helped lay people like me tremendously. Also, the author makes several assumptions (climate, life styles, etc) when explaining the migration paths of our ancestors. I am not an expert in the field, but I have a feeling that these should be taken by a grain of salt. All in all, this is a story of cutting edge technology leading to fascinating findings about our ancestors.
 Genetics of the Out of Africa odyssey March 21, 2009
John C. Landon (New York City)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Superb little book on the genetics of human evolution, and in the process a new perspective on the 'Out of Africa' question. The suddenness of this new science, with its revolutionary perspective on man, his origins and history, is compelling and it makes even books of a decade ago seem out of date. This book itself may need updates, but the basic snapshot of the human genetic odyssey is breathtaking in its scope.
 The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey January 19, 2009
P. D. Zohrab
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a very interesting and well-written book, and I recommend it to anyone who is new to the field of genetics for genealogy.
However, it does fall between two stools, to some extent, in that it tries to explain complex statistical concepts to a general audience using everyday analogies which I, at least, did not find helpful.
Since I have a background in linguistics, I found his section on language weak. It was irritating to hear yet another academic trot out the old myth that language is unique to humans, when recent experiments with gorillas and chimpanzees show that they have extensive language capacities, and we just do not know enough about their own communication systems to say that they do not use language in everyday life.
Similarly, it was irritating to hear him use the word "indigenous" so loosely, when it should be blindingly apparent to someone in his field that it can only be used when the evidence is available to show that a particular group is in fact the first human population in a given area.
Give the political correctness evident in his use of the word "indigenous", we may suspect that his stress on genetic drift, as opposed to natural selection, in human genetics has to do with an ideological preconception which may or may not mask the reality of human genetic development.
Genealogy buffs, this book is an absolute must. Coupled with the DVD it would be a great teaching tool. I am a genealogist but December 20, 2008
B. Trautman (Portland, Oregon)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you have any interest in who you are and where you came from, this DVD and book are absolute musts. By the time you have watched the DVD you will want to read the book. It will be just a small step away from immersing yourself in genetics. I would recommend this book highly. From there, I will welcome you into my world of dead people and genealogy. Do you remember in high school how we would try to remember what your parents had said about other generations, other relatives who lived far away? Now, you can find them and perhaps it would happen that you would find some cousin living across the ocean that you could visit. Genealogy leads down many paths, some we know not where.
HAVE THE BOOK & VIDEO, & HAD DNA TESTING DONE December 10, 2008
Wilbert J. Morell
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
THE BOOK AND VIDEO COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER VERY WELL. BOTH BLOW AWAY BRYAN SYKES BOOKS SEVEN DAUGHTERS OF EVE, ADAM'S CURSE, BLOOD OF THE ISLES, SAXONS VIKINGS & CELTS. BUT SYKES BOOKS WERE DONE BACK IN THE 90S WHEN DNA RESEARCH WAS JUST TAKING OFF. SPENCER WELLS BOOK & VIDEO ARE RIGHT UP THERE WITH DR HAMMER'S RESEARCH, SAMPLING, TESTING, & DATA COLLECTION FROM ALL OVER EUROPE, ASIA, & AFRICA.
MY PATERNAL PAPERTRAIL WENT BACK TWELVE GENERATIONS FROM USA TO IRELAND & TO SCOTLAMD. MY COAT OF ARMS & SURNAME HISTORY FROM THE HOUSE OF NAMES INDICATED I WAS A VIKING, THEN A NORMAN, ANGLO-NORMAN IN ENGLAND. MY PAPERTRAIL DID NOT GO BACK THAT FAR. BUT MY Y-DNA 67 MARKER & DEEP R CLADE TESTING INDICATED I WAS R1b1b2a1a (U106) which is Frisian (A GERMANIC TRIBE) & initially from Northeastern Germany between the Alps and North Sea, Netherlands, Frisian Islands, and Southeast coastline of Denmark almost 10,000 years ago. The Vikings and Normans are of the R1a Haplogroup & not the R1b Haplogroup. Based on History, the Frisians arived in Kent and Norfolk Counties of England as early as 250 AD & 450 AD because of coastline flooding caused by melting ice and extreme rises in sea level. It is also noted that during the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD, the Frisians assisted the Normans in their battle against the Saxons and were awarded land patents by William the Conqueror. It is easy to see why Surname History folks concluded my surname was of Norman and Viking ancestry. But DNA testing proved them wrong. History showed a migration of Frisians from Norfolk to Dumfriesshire Scotland about 1565 AD. Frisians in Norfolk also practiced Calvinism, and Presbyterian faith in Scotland after 1565 till present. My paternal ancestors from Scotland migrated to Northern Ireland as Presbyterians in 1692 and from there to America in 1848 as Presbyterians.
The bottom line is between my papertrail, a lot of ancient & medieval history, my DNA testing results from FTDNA, the surname history, the above books and videos, it all helps put the puzzle into a believable past.
The more information you can obtain from ancestry.com, geneology forums, books, videos, DNA Testing, and talking to the older people in your family before they die, will provide you with a family history like none other. I am a grandfather now, so I am coming to the time when my offspring ask me a lot of questions. You know what they say about the old wise man.
Outstanding book & Video and well worth the price for the hard copy book.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
top