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The new science behind genetic anthropology seems like a miracle, and I have never come across such a clear and easy to understand explanation. I was so enthralled, that I decided to take part in the research project, by going online and ordering the participation kit. I highly recommend reading the book and then participating in the study to find out your deep ancestry. The revelation in the book that race is really non-existent genetically was liberating. The color of one's skin really has very little to do with our common humanity.
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Posted April 25, 2008
Deep Ancestry is the story of us. Or the story of how scientists are figuring out the story of us. Meant to be an introduction to the National Geographic's Genographic Project, Deep Ancestry provides a summary of the complicated genetic discoveries being made by researchers every day. Author Spencer Wells uses real life people's stories to introduce concepts like haplogroups and population genetics in order to break up the technobabble that cannot really be avoided without entirely dumbing down the ideas he's trying to convey. A good chunk of the end of the book is a detailed appendix with entries describing each haplogroup 'Y chromosome and mtDNA', including all the various markers that point the way to the groups earliest common ancestor. This section seems best suited to those who have purchased a DNA testing kit and want to research their test results.
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Posted January 5, 2007
Spencer Wells has written a very interesting book. The name is 'Deep Ancestry' or 'The Journey of Man'. It appears to be two titles, but an objective reader will find that essentially only one manuscript was used. In so doing he has taken plagiarism to a whole new level. Much like the parts of the genome he describes that creates near perfect copies but throws in a mutation here and there to keep life interesting, he has simply taken his first book and added some anecdotes about a few real people as examples and published it again under a new title. The two books tell exactly the same tale, although the sequence has been slightly altered in the second book to the detriment of the story. Nevertheless, the texts are so similar that in both books we can find the same little quip about the absence of living Neanderthals (book 1, p.38): ¿despite what you may think of your colleague in the office next door¿, (book 2, p.108): ¿despite what you may think of that annoying person in the office down the hall from you¿. Finally, can be mentioned that if you thought that you picked up a 246-page book for $24.00, the story (the one that was actually already told in his first book) in fact ends on page 174. The rest is an appendix that lists haplogroups. Mr. Well's first book was very well written and described a fascinating subject. My advice is to buy the paper back version of his first book for and don't waste your money on this mutation.
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Overview
Travel backward through time from today's scattered billions to the handful of early humans who lived in Africa 60,000 years ago and are ancestors to us all.In Deep Ancestry, scientist and National Geographic explorer Spencer Wells shows how tiny genetic changes add up over time into a fascinating story. Using scores of real-life examples, helpful analogies, and detailed diagrams and illustrations, he explains exactly how each and every individual's DNA contributes another piece to the jigsaw puzzle of human history. The book takes readers inside the Genographic Project—the landmark study now assembling the world's largest collection of DNA samples ...