Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas
- Downloads：8427
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-10 11:21:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jennifer Raff
- ISBN：1668607662
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Christy Martin
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Jennifer Raff writes a very compelling story of genetics and indigenous peoples of the Americas。 Her book， while based on science， is readable and interesting to the general public and anyone interested in origins。 She debunks many old theories while laying them out in a common-sense way for the era in which they were formatted and lays the groundwork for new and exciting work done in the present and future on where the people that originally settled the Americas came from。 Raff is not critical Jennifer Raff writes a very compelling story of genetics and indigenous peoples of the Americas。 Her book， while based on science， is readable and interesting to the general public and anyone interested in origins。 She debunks many old theories while laying them out in a common-sense way for the era in which they were formatted and lays the groundwork for new and exciting work done in the present and future on where the people that originally settled the Americas came from。 Raff is not critical of theories of the past but does present them in the reality of the days they became accepted， which was a time and place of prejudice and ignorance about things and people not understood。 Indigenous peoples were viewed as less than people with European ancestry and that view made abuse of the land and the people acceptable。 Those with European ancestry often viewed themselves as superior in their knowledge， spiritual awareness， and genetics。 It is a book worth reading for its science and its explanations of events。 Thanks to #NetGalley#Origin for the opportunity to read and review this important book。 。。。more
Steve
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I enjoyed this book。 I liked how Dr。 Raff put herself into the story， explaining the intricacies of working with Indigenous people and the challenges of working in an ancient-DNA lab， amongst a wide variety of other topics。 I liked Raff’s enthusiasm and clear explanations of science。 But the book is more than just science。 It is history and ethics as well。 I also feel that the book is important， that we should have a better understanding of the original inhabitants of North and South America。 Wh I enjoyed this book。 I liked how Dr。 Raff put herself into the story， explaining the intricacies of working with Indigenous people and the challenges of working in an ancient-DNA lab， amongst a wide variety of other topics。 I liked Raff’s enthusiasm and clear explanations of science。 But the book is more than just science。 It is history and ethics as well。 I also feel that the book is important， that we should have a better understanding of the original inhabitants of North and South America。 While Raff has certain interpretations of the information， I did not find her dogmatic。 She presents both sides of an argument and uses data to support one side or the other。 Overall， the book has a conversational， friendly tone and it was a pleasure to read。 I recommend it for anyone interested in history and science。 Thank you to Netgalley and Twelve Books for the advance reader copy。 。。。more
Andrea Wenger
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Conventional wisdom says the first humans to enter the Americas were the Clovis people， crossing the Beringia corridor 13，000-14，000 years ago。 Yet tantalizing archeological evidence suggests the first migration may have been earlier， via a water route along the coast about 20，000 years ago， while ice sheets prevented an incursion over land。 Since the land that made up the coast at the time is now under water， finding indisputable proof is difficult。 That's where genetics comes in。 In this fasci Conventional wisdom says the first humans to enter the Americas were the Clovis people， crossing the Beringia corridor 13，000-14，000 years ago。 Yet tantalizing archeological evidence suggests the first migration may have been earlier， via a water route along the coast about 20，000 years ago， while ice sheets prevented an incursion over land。 Since the land that made up the coast at the time is now under water， finding indisputable proof is difficult。 That's where genetics comes in。 In this fascinating and accessible book， anthropological geneticist and science communicator Jennifer Raff provides proof through genetics that eludes archeologists。 She also explores how Native Americans have defined their own origins， and how a long history of exploitation and distrust impedes scientific research。 Ultimately， the message is one of hope and discovery。 Written for a lay audience， this book covers the subject extensively， from a variety of perspectives， in a way that's clear， sensitive， and understandable。 Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the subject。 Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Sage
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One of the best books I've read in a long while。 Jennifer Raff is a great writer。 Origin is interesting for its subject matter， but she makes paleogenetics riveting。 Over the course of this book， she describes in detail how paleogeneticists uncover the history of ancient peoples， giving a critique of the problematic （and extraordinarily racist） history of the field and what has been done in recent years to heal the the entirely valid distrust between Native communities and researchers。 She shows One of the best books I've read in a long while。 Jennifer Raff is a great writer。 Origin is interesting for its subject matter， but she makes paleogenetics riveting。 Over the course of this book， she describes in detail how paleogeneticists uncover the history of ancient peoples， giving a critique of the problematic （and extraordinarily racist） history of the field and what has been done in recent years to heal the the entirely valid distrust between Native communities and researchers。 She shows how ancient DNA is extracted and analyzed。 She examines the archaeological data， context， dating methods， and virulent disagreements concerning "good" sites containing human evidence from the deep past。 She provides a world-class primer on scientific research ethics and how to build trusting relationships among stakeholder communities。 And she lays out the state of the science concerning how Native peoples moved from Siberia to places as far afield as Florida， Chile， and the Greater Antilles。 （Extra points for describing the North American ice wall from the last glacier maximum as six times taller than the wall from Game of Thrones。）This book is written for general readers， not specialists， and it's clear that Raff is involved in science education， because every chapter is accessible， perfectly structured， and crystal clear。 Also， the further reading resources seem fantastic。 I very much look forward to whatever Raff publishes next （and secretly wish she had time to teach other scientists how to write books， because this was a joy）。 Five stars。ARC 。。。more
Xavier Bonilla
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