Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past
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- Author：David Reich
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Summary
Massive technological innovations now allow scientists to extract and analyze ancient DNA as never before， and it has become clear--in part from David Reich's own contributions to the field--that genomics is as important a means of understanding the human past as archeology， linguistics， and the written word。 Now， in The New Science of the Human Past， Reich describes just how the human genome provides not only all the information that a fertilized human egg needs to develop but also contains within it the history of our species。 He delineates how the Genomic Revolution and ancient DNA are transforming our understanding of our own lineage as modern humans; how genomics deconstructs the idea that there are no biologically meaningful differences among human populations （though without adherence to pernicious racist hierarchies）; and how DNA studies reveal the deep history of human inequality--among different populations， between the sexes， and among individuals within a population。
Reviews
Olga Werby
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A great introduction to what's going on in the field of ancient human DNA research， including the moral， social， and political implications of such research。The book includes a bit on modern-day human genetics and how modern humans have mixed and dispersed all over the world in the last few thousand years。 A great introduction to what's going on in the field of ancient human DNA research， including the moral， social， and political implications of such research。The book includes a bit on modern-day human genetics and how modern humans have mixed and dispersed all over the world in the last few thousand years。 。。。more
Marks54
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Genomics， archeology， and history！ This is a follow up to a first book on this by Johannes Krause that I read earlier this year。 Reich’s book is an effort to explain this new field in more detail and show what the new field of Ancient DNA study can and cannot do。 This does not seem an area for the faint hearted however， since one needs a thorough knowledge of genetics， archaeology， and statistical analysis， along with lots of analytic support and a large amount of data。I will not say much about Genomics， archeology， and history！ This is a follow up to a first book on this by Johannes Krause that I read earlier this year。 Reich’s book is an effort to explain this new field in more detail and show what the new field of Ancient DNA study can and cannot do。 This does not seem an area for the faint hearted however， since one needs a thorough knowledge of genetics， archaeology， and statistical analysis， along with lots of analytic support and a large amount of data。I will not say much about the methodology， since I am not sure that I follow everything。 The idea seems to be that under the right circumstances and with the right samples， the DNA in the remains of early humans can provide evidence that goes far beyond the immediate circumstances of the humans providing the samples。 With some reasonable assumptions， the DNA evidence can suggest the broader genetic characteristics of entire communities。 With some dispersion of evidence across a broader time period and some knowledge about what what going on at the time in terms of human history， climatic conditions， geological developments， and many other matters， some insights can also be gained about how the characteristics of human communities changed over time including how the physical locations of communities changed。 With a broad enough set of data， it is even possible to make some inferences about what is not known about some populations， especially those that did not survive the historical sorting processes intact。Why not just do this from contemporary genetic samples from different populations？ Why is it necessary to go into the stone and bones of archaic peoples？ Well， because the DNA profiles of communities and broader populations get diluted over time and peoples continue to migrate and mix as has occurred throughout history。 So it is important to get a look at population genetic profiles before they have become more scrambled by the passage of time。 In fact the researchers have worked out some commonly accepted approaches for understanding how old different genetic profiles according to the degree to which these profiles have been mixed or not mixed relative to some base case profile。 This is not quite carbon dating but it is fascinating to consider， although considerable rereading may be necessary。 （This is gnarly stuff to work through and I am not a member of the club， so I am doing my best to summarize。 Those interested should read the book and the papers， most of which are available on the web to curious minds。）So what’s the big deal about this？I am not sure Professor Reich is totally clear about all of the potential uses of Ancient DNA research。 But he is clear about one general set of uses and I fully agree。 Studies of past human communities， whether well done， poorly done， or even fictitious， have been used to support a wide range of contemporary political and social agendas， including many that have dire implications for those who do not end up as members of the nation （or whatever in group one is considering）。 Ancient DNA research has found that human societies have continued to mix and remix over time and that the idea of some pure communities enjoying an unadulterated and coherent identities over the course of there histories does not get supported by rigorous historical research。 Ancient DNA research is valuable for showing the complexities of human history and casting doubt on oversimplification of the past。Professor Reich is very aware of the potential political implications of Ancient DNA research findings in a when national governments are big founders of this expensive research and are concerned with how the results of these studies will be made use of by interested parties。 He frequently discussed the need for honest and rigorous research in the face of pressures to be politically correct。 I get that， and applaud his efforts， although the tension between rigor and relevance is hardly unique to this field of study and highly unlikely to disappear any time soon。 Reich seems to be managing the tension。 I hope he continues to do so and that he keeps his studies and their valuable conclusions coming。The book is organized by chapters and accessible to people with general backgrounds。 There is a lot here that is assumed and readers wanting more will need to dig further。 That is OK with me。 。。。more
Ron Welch
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This book requires some concentration in order to understand the intricacies of genetics research。 However， the payoff is well worth the time and effort。 The ability to easily evaluate the entire genome of individuals and to retrieve intact DNA from ancient remains of humans has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of human history。Among a few of the important findings are that there has been mixing of humans going back tens of thousands of years， for example with Neanderthals and De This book requires some concentration in order to understand the intricacies of genetics research。 However， the payoff is well worth the time and effort。 The ability to easily evaluate the entire genome of individuals and to retrieve intact DNA from ancient remains of humans has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of human history。Among a few of the important findings are that there has been mixing of humans going back tens of thousands of years， for example with Neanderthals and Denisovans。 We also learn that there were successive waves of migration， for example the Yamnaya who capitalized on their discovery of the wheel and taming of the horse five thousand years ago to conquer lands both throughout Europe and India。 We learn that analysis of the Y chromosome （exclusively passed on by males） and mitochondrial DNA （passed exclusively by females） has demonstrated the mixing of populations via males from invading lands mating with females from the invaded population。 One needn't reach far to recognize that male hierarchy dictated the preponderance of matings when civilizations collided。We also learn through DNA studies， for example， about how there have been literally hundreds if not thousands of separate "castes" under the jati system in India that goes back several thousand years。 These groups had small founder populations and put the current populations at risk of rare， genetically mediated problems。He makes the case that though such research may lead to learning about subtle differences in aptitude/ability and other features between population groups we must follow the science without falling into the dual traps of concluding that certain groups are somehow thereby "superior" or denying that any such differences exist and suppressing inconvenient facts。 We need to celebrate differences and promote a cultural environment helping all reach their different potentials。 。。。more
Ameya
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Reich claimed he put off writing research papers to write this book， but the book read just like a research paper。
عبد الله القصير
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إياك أن تستهين بالبرابرة。 هذا الكتاب يشرح كيف استطاع علم الجينات فهم هجرات البشر القديمة。 من خلال تحليل جينات بشرية قديمة استطاع علماء الجينات （المؤلف أحد أهم هؤلاء العلماء） فك شفرة هجرات البشر وتزاوجهم مع بعض。 الكتاب يناقش هجرة البشر من أفريقيا وهجرة الأريين إلى أوروبا وشمال الهند ومن أين أتى سكان شرق أسيا وغيرها。 المؤلف حذر ويكرر أن هذا العلم ببداياته وليس من الحكمة أخذ النتائج كحقائق مطلقة خصوصا أن علماء الجينات ليسوا متخصصين بعلم الإحاثة ولا بعلم اللغات فاحتمال وضعهم نظريات سخيفة بالوقت الحا إياك أن تستهين بالبرابرة。 هذا الكتاب يشرح كيف استطاع علم الجينات فهم هجرات البشر القديمة。 من خلال تحليل جينات بشرية قديمة استطاع علماء الجينات （المؤلف أحد أهم هؤلاء العلماء） فك شفرة هجرات البشر وتزاوجهم مع بعض。 الكتاب يناقش هجرة البشر من أفريقيا وهجرة الأريين إلى أوروبا وشمال الهند ومن أين أتى سكان شرق أسيا وغيرها。 المؤلف حذر ويكرر أن هذا العلم ببداياته وليس من الحكمة أخذ النتائج كحقائق مطلقة خصوصا أن علماء الجينات ليسوا متخصصين بعلم الإحاثة ولا بعلم اللغات فاحتمال وضعهم نظريات سخيفة بالوقت الحاضر كبيرة، ولكنه يدعون علماء باقي التخصصات عدم الاستهانة بهذا العلم، يقول: قد يكون علماء الجينات القديمة برابرة في هذا التخصص ولكن إياك أن تستهين بالبرابرة。في الفصل الأخير يناقش المؤلف علاقة هذا العلم بالعنصرية ويأتي بأمثلة لعلماء جينات وصحفيين استغلوا هذا العلم للدعاية لتفوق بعض الأعراق على البعض。 طبيعي أن المؤلف يحذر أشد التحذير من سلوك هذا المسلك ويرى أنه مسئ للعلم ومبني على أنصاف حقائق وتمنيات لا أكثر。بالمحصلة الكتاب ممتاز وممتع ويستحق القراءة。 。。。more
Luke Stannard
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The first 2/3 of the book is so exhaustively objective and science oriented when it didn't need to be。 Lots of info needed to get explained I guess， so its all on paper now。 It could have used a more personalized narration though。 The DNA revolution really is exciting man， come on！ Basically in the last decade we've learned more than we did in all of human history about this stuff。 I saved the diagrams to my phone so I can learn them better。 So many new terms like "Denisovan"。 This book is not a The first 2/3 of the book is so exhaustively objective and science oriented when it didn't need to be。 Lots of info needed to get explained I guess， so its all on paper now。 It could have used a more personalized narration though。 The DNA revolution really is exciting man， come on！ Basically in the last decade we've learned more than we did in all of human history about this stuff。 I saved the diagrams to my phone so I can learn them better。 So many new terms like "Denisovan"。 This book is not at all as interesting or fun to read as Harari's Sapiens but it is more information at the cutting edge。 Science is coming out so fast that publishing can't keep up with it。 It will be interesting to see how this field now corrects other fields like medicine and history。 Lots of racial questions treading lightly on the controversies of the past in the final 1/3 of the book。 Probably a disproportionate amount of content about it with the plethora of new information about humanity。 Hopefully we can all get over our differences and see the beauty in having more knowledge about human ancestry。 We have more information about biology and history， which is a good thing in and of itself。 。。。more
Owen
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A very interesting book that dives deep into the overall history of mankind。 The only problem I have is that the language is very dense and often hard to understand。 Otherwise an extremely thorough narrative of our current position in genetics。
Michael Macijeski
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Old Bones Meet New Science--Prepare to be SurprisedHighly recommend for anyone interested in the deep human past， as well as understanding both our differences and our common humanity。The author runs a lab at Harvard， doing cutting edge work with ancient human DNA。 I won't dish up any spoilers， but there is plenty to both confirm and upend previous understandings。 Reich systematically explores the ancestry of every major human ethnicity。 He neither ignores nor overstates the differences between Old Bones Meet New Science--Prepare to be SurprisedHighly recommend for anyone interested in the deep human past， as well as understanding both our differences and our common humanity。The author runs a lab at Harvard， doing cutting edge work with ancient human DNA。 I won't dish up any spoilers， but there is plenty to both confirm and upend previous understandings。 Reich systematically explores the ancestry of every major human ethnicity。 He neither ignores nor overstates the differences between peoples--a balance I find very healthy。Want to know where we come from？ Looks like clearer answers are on the way。 Love to compare notes on this book with anyone else who reads it。 。。。more
Smit Kamal
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I was always fascinated to know how the world was populated by humans who migrated out of Africa and how are people in different parts of the world related to each other。 This book did a great job answering these questions and opened my eyes to how ancient DNA findings are revolutionizing our understanding of the human past。 This book has also beautifully talked about the biological differences which are being discovered among populations with different ancestries and why the world needs to acce I was always fascinated to know how the world was populated by humans who migrated out of Africa and how are people in different parts of the world related to each other。 This book did a great job answering these questions and opened my eyes to how ancient DNA findings are revolutionizing our understanding of the human past。 This book has also beautifully talked about the biological differences which are being discovered among populations with different ancestries and why the world needs to accept these differences。 I haven't studied biology after the 10th grade， so few genetics-related concepts were difficult to understand。 However， those concepts were not critical towards understanding the crux of this book。 。。。more
Leslie Nyen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 this book is about how analysis of ancient DNA can be/ is used to discover more about the human past。 David Reich likens how the emerging technology of cheap（er） whole-genome sequencing to how carbon dating revolutionalized the study of old civilizations。The idea is to use novel and clever statistical methods to process massive amounts of DNA derived from ancient samples combining with inter-disciplinary expertise in archeology， linguistics， history， and culture to derive insights into how popul this book is about how analysis of ancient DNA can be/ is used to discover more about the human past。 David Reich likens how the emerging technology of cheap（er） whole-genome sequencing to how carbon dating revolutionalized the study of old civilizations。The idea is to use novel and clever statistical methods to process massive amounts of DNA derived from ancient samples combining with inter-disciplinary expertise in archeology， linguistics， history， and culture to derive insights into how populations were like in the past。 This is a rapidly emerging field that every currently new thing may be obsolete in a very short period of time。The discoveries challenge the dogma of a pure race and， as Reich puts it， serves to provide information about the human race where we are all part of one big family。 The field is indeed very wide， and while Reich covers humans， there are huge fields studying the ancient DNA of microbes and plants， adding much more detail to our sparse view of the ancient past。 The future of the field of ancient DNA looks bright。 There is so much to learn and so much more to do。 This book is a great introduction to the field of ancient DNA。 。。。more
Amelia Durham
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Whew！ This audiobook had me doing a lot of rewinding。 Frankly， this material is immense， complex and very unfinished。 I appreciate the authors genuine attempt to explain in laymen’s terms whenever possible。 “It’s never a good idea to ignore barbarians”。 I didn’t expect such a good quote to come from a book like this。 All in all， there are many concepts discussed here that are completely new to me。 Too many to list but I like the thorough explanations even the ones I don’t fully understand and lo Whew！ This audiobook had me doing a lot of rewinding。 Frankly， this material is immense， complex and very unfinished。 I appreciate the authors genuine attempt to explain in laymen’s terms whenever possible。 “It’s never a good idea to ignore barbarians”。 I didn’t expect such a good quote to come from a book like this。 All in all， there are many concepts discussed here that are completely new to me。 Too many to list but I like the thorough explanations even the ones I don’t fully understand and look forward to reading and understanding more about them。One thing that really stands out to me is the fact that he avoided saying rape when it seems clear that the amount of evidence they find of males of higher socioeconomic classes mating with lower class females must have been from the millions upon millions of rapes that occurred after conquering， displacements and war。 I can’t imagine what else it would be from？I walk away from this one with lots of startling new thoughts like the idea we have migrated back and forth in many ways and not one way like the branches of the Darwinist tree。 I love that concept and how I’m already thinking differently due to all this information which I love。 Definitely worth the effort and a fascinating read。 。。。more
Lindsey Stevens
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Very interesting to listen to as an audiobook read by the author。 It’s a very fact heavy information book that for me was preferred to listen to in shorter increments to appreciate all of the science and discoveries through studying dna and genetics of all people。
Orhan Pelinkovic
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The idea of an existence of a pure human race is scientifically dead。 Geneticist， David Reich， discovers through the process of whole-genome sequencing that modern humans are a mixture of a variety of human species， where forty thousand years ago our planet was inhabited by multiple groups of archaic humans that were physically different。 Comparing ancient to modern human DNA， Reich finds that the non-African genome， fifty thousand years ago， which was a direct ancestor of modern humans， had alm The idea of an existence of a pure human race is scientifically dead。 Geneticist， David Reich， discovers through the process of whole-genome sequencing that modern humans are a mixture of a variety of human species， where forty thousand years ago our planet was inhabited by multiple groups of archaic humans that were physically different。 Comparing ancient to modern human DNA， Reich finds that the non-African genome， fifty thousand years ago， which was a direct ancestor of modern humans， had almost 5 percent of Neanderthal origin， while non-African genomes today consist of nearly 2 percent of Neanderthal origin。 Hence， Neanderthals and the archaic human interbred。 This depletion of the Neanderthal genes is accomplished by natural selection， at the expense of the Neanderthals DNA， and perhaps due to the high infertility of this hybrid。 A similar history is shared in Asia and Oceania with the Denisovans， where Neanderthals and Denisovans are cousins。 With all these findings， can we conclude that modern humans are to some degree biologically different？Reich's laboratory was able to trace through analyzing the ancient DNA that the people of the Yamnaya culture from the Eurasian Steppe around five thousand years ago migrated to Europe and to a significant degree replaced the majority of the then existing European population。 Reich further hypothesizes that this could be evidence why the Northern European languages spoken today are so closely kindred i。e。 as a consequence of the spread of a new culture at the same time。Genomic data also traces that the descendants of Indians today are a mixture of ancestral people of West Eurasia and South and East Asia and that the spreading of the Yamnaya five thousand years ago could offer a clue on how these two regions and their languages are a part of the same Indo-European language family。 What was also fascinating is that an Ancient North Eurasian population genetically contributes one-third of their ancestry of present-day Native Americans， while the natives of the Amazon share ancestry with the indigenous people of Australia， New Guinea， and Andaman。Who We Are and How We Got Here （2018） reconstruct events of the human past that reveals the history of humankind's movements， interbreeding， and transformations， replacement， and extinction of populations。 David Reich in my opinion is not quite the writer and storyteller as Siddhartha Mukherjee， hence， the narrative is not as compelling as it is in Mukherjee's The Gene: An Intimate History。 On the other hand， Reich is a heavyweight in his field and his work has and will have a great impact on the future work of archaeologists， anthropologists， and linguists。 I have been meaning to read this book for some time now， but reading Sense of History's excellent review of the book triggered me to buy and read it， and I am glad I did。 。。。more
Bob Nichols
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Reich’s book is not an easy read。 Its overall thrust is how DNA data is used to decipher the origins and timing of ancient human migration， particularly the migration patterns since 50，000 years ago （kya）。 The challenge to this book is to draw out the main conclusions without being overwhelmed by the Reich's discussion of DNA methodology。 Also， I found many of his illustrations not particularly clear。Reich walks the reader through the movement out of Africa into the steppes of Eurasia， then to E Reich’s book is not an easy read。 Its overall thrust is how DNA data is used to decipher the origins and timing of ancient human migration， particularly the migration patterns since 50，000 years ago （kya）。 The challenge to this book is to draw out the main conclusions without being overwhelmed by the Reich's discussion of DNA methodology。 Also， I found many of his illustrations not particularly clear。Reich walks the reader through the movement out of Africa into the steppes of Eurasia， then to Europe and South Asia， East Asia and the Americas。 His central thesis is that there have been great mixtures among populations， with some genetic groupings being more dominant than others， so much that there can never be a pure race theory as argued by the Nazis and today， by Hindu nationalists。Regarding the origins of modern humanity， I got hung up something Reich discusses early in his book。 “Anatomically modern” features he defines “as falling within the range of variation of all humans today，” with the anthropological evidence dating to 200-300 kya。 That definition of “anatomically modern” is good， but it highlights a commonly stated view that modern body structures were for the longest time separate and distinct from modern human cognition and behavior。 The latter is thought to have originated 50-40 kya outside of Africa when the archeological record the points to a “great change，” in a “period known to archaeologists of West Eurasia as the Upper Paleolithic， and to the archaeologists of Africa as the Later Stone Age。” Mainly， that argument runs， this was due to relatively quick changes in the “manufacture” of stone tools （“changes in style every few thousands of years”）， and a wide array of art works。 To archeologists， this suggested a cognitive-behavioral revolution that now gets plugged into the modern skeletal structure。 In this regard， Reich refers to an anthropologist who explains this “recognizably modern human behavior” that “burst into full flower” via a sudden “genetic switch” in the brain， and this point of view has gained wide currency among those writing about human origins （see Harari’s Sapiens）。 Reich discounts this single genetic explanation。 “I expect，” he writes， “that no intellectually elegant and emotionally satisfying molecular explanation for behavioral modernity will ever be found。” But he does accept the modernity thesis， and then nods to a genetic explanation nonetheless。 He explains “the striking advances in human behavior and capacities that occurred during the Upper Paleolithic and Later Stone Ages” by saying that the mutations were long in place but took long tens-hundreds of thousands of years to reach critical mass， via “an increase[ing] frequency。” （1） This， then， would explain the time lag between anatomically modern and cognitive-behavioral traits。In making that argument， Reich blows right by a McBrearty-Brooks （2000） study， which he only briefly references， that challenges the argument that there was any sudden “advance” in modern humanity’s behavioral-cognitive capacities。 （2） That study says that there is no discontinuity in cognitive sophistication and that the roots of modern human behavior arose in Africa much earlier than what that study sees as the highly Eurocentric model。 Body ornamentation， for example， precedes Europe by “tens of thousands of years，” and “the main behavioral shift leading to modernity” lies at the Acheulian boundary about 250-300 kya， not the 50-40，000 period for Eurasia。 The “revolution” point that is cited by many is really the study authors say a reflection of Gould’s punctuated equilibrium argument， where sudden changes occur via beneficial mutations。 The authors of that study say， in contrast， that modern cognition-behavior first arose in isolated local African populations that over time passed from group to group via cultural transmission and it is only 50-40kya that this is seen in Eurasia。 It is possible that Reich makes a similar argument， but its not clear。 The fact that he spends no time on the 2000 study， as opposed to the “revolutionary-modernity” argument， makes me doubtful that this is what he is saying， especially because his emphasis is on cognitive-behavior modernity post 50-40 kya。Reich distinguishes between genealogy and genetic inheritance。 I took this to mean that， though the paper trail might take one back for example， to the 14th century， the chances of the DNA from these ancestors being our ancestors is nil。 It’s a numbers game。 “Twenty generations in the past， he writes， “the number of ancestors is almost a thousand times greater than the number of ancestral stretch of DNA in a person’s genome， so it is a certainty that each person has not inherited any DNA from the great majority of his or her actual ancestors。”Toward the end of the book， Reich takes on the heavy bias in the humanities and science against any studies that support a genetic basis for cognition and behavioral traits between various clusters of populations。 While clearly sensitive to racism dangers， Reich also says that science is science and that “It is now undeniable that there are non-trivial average genetic differences across populations in multiple traits， and the race vocabulary is too ill-defined and too loaded with historical baggage to be helpful。” （3） As an alternative， Reich prefers “ancestry” to refer to these differences， not race。 From that change in terminology， Reich next asks， “So how should we prepare for the likelihood that in the coming years， genetic studies will show that behavioral or cognitive traits are influenced by genetic variation， and that these traits will differ on average across human populations， both with regard to their average and their variation within populations。” He goes on to say that “it would be temping…to settle on a new comforting platitude， invoking the history of repeated admixture in the human past as an argument for population differences being meaningless。 But such a statement is wrongheaded…。The right way to deal with the inevitable discovery of substantial differences across populations is to realize that their existence should not affect the way we conduct ourselves。” The operative word in Reich’s scientific approach to study “ancestral” differences between clusters of populations is “should。” Reich believes that mind is in control， and that this “should” translate into “the imperative to give everyone equal respect。” With that single word he thus eliminates a good part of evolutionary （the embeddedness of tribalism – and the challenges of accepting if not embracing diversity） and human history （wars among tribal groups）。 Reich thus ignores how it is to be that mind controls behavior if the motivation to do so – that one might care to respect those who are different – is not there at our core。 （4） It’s obviously not the case that we should not promote respect and toleration， but the problem of inbred tribalism does point to the challenge that “ancestry” （“race”） studies face which I think Reich’s advocacy misses， especially when he delves into the topic of intelligence （“education”）。 （5） In the context of his discussion about how to handle this topic， Reich writes that there is “a great diversity of human traits， including not just cognitive and behavioral traits， but also areas of athletic ability， skill with one’s hands， and capacity for social interaction and empathy。” Elsewhere he refers to differences in inborn temperaments。 Though buried among his other commentary， such statements are highly significant。 Extend the logic of what Reich says and you come up， beyond the broadest criteria as to what makes humans a species， with multiple human natures not one。 Assertions that “man is x” has long plagued philosophical and humanitarian arguments。 Among individuals， it could be that they fall along a continuum of those who are highly need- or fear-driven egocentrics at one end and those who are more caring， compassionate and respectful on the other， with most falling between these two poles。 Both meet natural survival’s success test。 It also means a revisiting of what it means to be “normal，” “to be valued，” and to be judged against “standardization，” with a full-suite of implications ranging from testing， learning style， toleration， merit， respect， etc。 It especially means a re-evaluation of what it means to be true to oneself。 There’s no blank slate; there’s a true self inside （good or bad， from the perspective of the self or the group）。 “Everyone is his or her own person with unique strengths and weaknesses， and should be treated as such，” he writes。 Though not at all the central part of Reich’s book， this， for me， was the book’s take-home point。（1） “The mutations necessary to facilitate modern human behavior were already in place， and many alternative combinations of these mutations could have increased in frequency together due to natural selection in response to changing needs imposed by the development of conceptual language or new environmental conditions。 This is turn could have enabled further changes in lifestyle and innovation， in a self-reinforcing cycle。”（2） “The Revolution that Wasn’t: A new Interpretation of the Origin of Modern Human Behavior，” Journal of Human Evolution 39（2000）: 453-563。（3）“[W]ether we like it or not， there’s no stopping the genome revolution。 The results that it is producing are making it impossible to maintain the orthodoxy established over the last century， as they are revealing hard evidence of substantial differences across populations…。it is possible to group most people in a worldwide population sample into clusters that correlate strongly to popular categories of race in the United States: ‘African，’ ‘European，’ ‘East Asian，’ ‘Oceanian，’ or ‘Native American。’” Drawing on the fact that there’s greater variation among individuals within a population cluster than between such clusters， Reich states that “The real offense of racism， in the end， is to judge individuals by a supposed stereotype of their group – to ignore the fact that when applied to specific individuals， stereotypes are almost always misleading。”（4） The word “should” （as well as the hypothetical “if”） pops up again with this summary statement: “If we aspire to treat all individuals with respect regardless of the extraordinary differences that exist among individuals within a population， it should not be so much more of an effort to accommodate the smaller but still significant average differences across populations。” In this context， "If" is a problematic word。（5） After describing studies on the role of genes in educational attainment， Reich states that “No one knows how the genetic variations that influence educational attainment in people of European ancestry affect behavior in people of non-European ancestries， or in differently structured social systems。 That said， it seems likely that if these mutations have an effect on behavior in one population they will do so in others， too， even if the effects differ by social context。 And educational attainment as a trait is likely to be only the tip of an iceberg of behavioral traits affected by genetics。” 。。。more
Aditya
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‘Who We Are and How We Got Here’ gives an overview of the rapidly developing and new field of ancient genomics and some of the related eye-opening findings on human migrations。 I found it quite hard to fully understand the first section describing the research methodologies but their implications on the peopling of various subcontinents was fascinating to read。 The last section talks about some difficult topics such as race and genomics， and the ethics of collecting DNA samples from traditionall ‘Who We Are and How We Got Here’ gives an overview of the rapidly developing and new field of ancient genomics and some of the related eye-opening findings on human migrations。 I found it quite hard to fully understand the first section describing the research methodologies but their implications on the peopling of various subcontinents was fascinating to read。 The last section talks about some difficult topics such as race and genomics， and the ethics of collecting DNA samples from traditionally disadvantaged groups。 Naturally， I was a bit more interested in reading the one whole chapter dedicated to the South Asian subcontinent and I would like to point out that since the publication of this book in 2018， there have been quite a few landmark papers written on the subject; not refuting， but supplementing the information given in the book。 If you are interested in learning about ancient peoples and our own origins， this book would be a great pick。 And if the idea of people mixing across present-day country borders， some few thousand years ago makes you uncomfortable， you can safely skip reading this book。 。。。more
atom_box Evan G
，
These findings are very， very current: it's like reading an extended length issue of Scientific American。 New to me: （1） the L population in South America is a separate peopling of the Americas， today present mostly in Brazil AND Indonesia but not much in between。 （2） India was peopled from the East and the West （3） A female-centric culture covered Europe and had little violence but the chariot drivers came in from the Steppes and introduced a male-centric culture。 （4） China has Denisovians like These findings are very， very current: it's like reading an extended length issue of Scientific American。 New to me: （1） the L population in South America is a separate peopling of the Americas， today present mostly in Brazil AND Indonesia but not much in between。 （2） India was peopled from the East and the West （3） A female-centric culture covered Europe and had little violence but the chariot drivers came in from the Steppes and introduced a male-centric culture。 （4） China has Denisovians like Europeans have Neandertals in their DNA。 。。。more
Peter
，
As improvements in extracting DNA and understanding the results is continually improving it is enabling us to get a better understanding of how we have migrated accross the world also more ancient bones are being discovered。 This has led to old theories of how the migrations took place being revised。 The book goes in to a lot of detail in interperating the DNA and how that has changed。 I was more interested in how people got to Australia so long ago and which strands of our human ancestory got t As improvements in extracting DNA and understanding the results is continually improving it is enabling us to get a better understanding of how we have migrated accross the world also more ancient bones are being discovered。 This has led to old theories of how the migrations took place being revised。 The book goes in to a lot of detail in interperating the DNA and how that has changed。 I was more interested in how people got to Australia so long ago and which strands of our human ancestory got to these places。 。。。more
Melody
，
A very interesting book telling the stories of hominid and human dna and our ancestors morphed into us and how we are still connected to our ancestors in our genes。 No matter your ancient roots the history is in you。 This is a long book and quite convoluted in parts。
Dave Schoettinger
，
Like a gypsy reading tea leaves to discover your future， David Reich and his colleagues read genomes to discover your past， or at least your ancestry。 What he can tell you about your ancestry from deciphering your genome might not validate your DAR application， but it will give you a better idea where， and with whom， your ancestors were hanging out forty or fifty thousand years ago。 Although Professor Reich goes to great lengths to explain how he does this， I am not going to pretend that I under Like a gypsy reading tea leaves to discover your future， David Reich and his colleagues read genomes to discover your past， or at least your ancestry。 What he can tell you about your ancestry from deciphering your genome might not validate your DAR application， but it will give you a better idea where， and with whom， your ancestors were hanging out forty or fifty thousand years ago。 Although Professor Reich goes to great lengths to explain how he does this， I am not going to pretend that I understood anything but very simple basics， like he needs your DNA， and he'd like it better if you've been dead for four thousand years。 It was more common when I was a kid， but I think there are still some people who pride themselves on being pure-blooded this or that。 The message from David Reich to such people is that unless they were born and raised in the Andaman Islands， they are almost certainly wrong。 Reich and his fellow geneticists take the long view of human history and through the centuries people apparently have been attracted to pretty much anyone of the same （or fairly close） species。 Therefore the DNA of the Neanderthal and Denisovians， and perhaps other extinct versions of genus homo are still present in many of our genes。 I will in the future be more selective in using Neanderthal as a pejorative， and I would recommend this book to the GEICO caveman as a self-esteem builder。 I found this book interesting and informative and no longer think of CRSPR as a drawer in my refrigerator。 。。。more
Bhaskar Sharma
，
Bit too complex for my liking。。。
Steve Lewis
，
A very detailed treatment of a complex subject， but masterfully done。 It deserves a second or third listen （yes， an audio book adaption）。
Kristina
，
The science was interesting， but so many things took away from my enjoyment and interest in the book。 He dismissed the concerns of groups who did not want genetic testing， promoted the work of his lab and denigrated the work of almost everyone else mentioned （occasionally with cause - James Watson， I’m talking to you！）， and despite having obviously spent a good deal of time considering and investigating his opinions on race and gender seemed to completely miss the point， sometimes disastrously。 The science was interesting， but so many things took away from my enjoyment and interest in the book。 He dismissed the concerns of groups who did not want genetic testing， promoted the work of his lab and denigrated the work of almost everyone else mentioned （occasionally with cause - James Watson， I’m talking to you！）， and despite having obviously spent a good deal of time considering and investigating his opinions on race and gender seemed to completely miss the point， sometimes disastrously。 He seemed more clueless than horrible， but it’s a fine line， and intent doesn’t prevent you from doing harm。 Will continue my search for writing in genetics that handles critical issues with more heart than head。 。。。more
MaryJo
，
This is an important book， and I hope it gets wide readership。
OKSANA
，
«Хто ми такі？ Походження людини крізь призму ДНК»⠀Девід Райх， «Наш Формат»， 2019⠀«Who We Are and How We Got Here。 Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past»⠀David Reigh， 2018⠀«Рух - це життя！»⠀І цей вислів має реальне підґрунтя для людства。 Вся історія людської популяції - це рух， переселення і схрещування。⠀Чи таке цільне поняття раси й національності？⠀Чи вірні наші уявлення про минуле людства？⠀Чи знаєте ви насправді， хто були ваші предки？⠀Наука стрімко розвивається， методи досліджень п «Хто ми такі？ Походження людини крізь призму ДНК»⠀Девід Райх， «Наш Формат»， 2019⠀«Who We Are and How We Got Here。 Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past»⠀David Reigh， 2018⠀«Рух - це життя！»⠀І цей вислів має реальне підґрунтя для людства。 Вся історія людської популяції - це рух， переселення і схрещування。⠀Чи таке цільне поняття раси й національності？⠀Чи вірні наші уявлення про минуле людства？⠀Чи знаєте ви насправді， хто були ваші предки？⠀Наука стрімко розвивається， методи досліджень постійно змінюються， археологи співпрацюють з генетиками та антропологами， щоб відкрити завісу на історію нашого виду。⠀Зараз легко замовити тест своєї ДНК， щоб дізнатися звідки ви отримали такий «коктейль» генів і мутацій， та чи він на 100% вірний？⠀Ця книжка не читається легко， але вона цікаво й доступно розповідає про важливі відкриття в генетиці й питані походження людини。⠀Раджу до прочитання тим， хто любить історію й археологію， та хоч раз задумався про тест ДНК！⠀Про книжку:⠀«ПРО КНИЖКУ⠀Історія науки показує， як небезпечно бути переконаним у тому， що знаєш істину。 Усі помилки — починаючи від уявлення， що Земля пласка， а Сонце обертається навколо неї — мають стати для нас попередженням і навчити піддавати сумнівам інформацію та не довіряти стереотипам。 Генетик Девід Райх переконаний: геномна революція стрімко ламає наші уявлення про минуле。 Чим ми відрізняємось одне від одного？ Що таке ідентичність？ У своїй книжці дослідник описує сучасні відкриття， пов’язані з вивченням і порівнянням стародавньої та сучасної ДНК。⠀ДЛЯ КОГО КНИЖКА⠀Книжка для всіх， хто любить науково-популярну літературу， цікавиться науковими дослідженнями у сфері генетики та минулим людства。⠀ЧОМУ ЦЯ КНИЖКА⠀Автор показує зміни， які відбувалися з популяціями людей у далекому минулому， доводячи， що ДНК може розповісти про історію людства значно більше， ніж традиційний арсенал археології。⠀ПРО АВТОРА⠀Девід Райх — професор генетики в Гарвардській медичній школі й один з провідних фахівців， що займаються аналізом ДНК стародавніх людей。 У 2015 році журнал Nature зарахував його до десяти найвидатніших учених за внесок у науку。»⠀#примхливачитака 。。。more
Jurij Fedorov
，
Part I The Deep History of Our Species1 How the Genome Explains Who We Are5，5/10Just have to point out that the intro is very boring。 It's just a bunch of personal opinions and a light biography of his research。 I see this a lot in books。 Often you will improve your book by just deleting the intro chapter。 I get why authors may want to tell readers about their biases in the intro chapter。 But instead they should just avoid biases in the book！ You have time to edit this。 Don't just write stuff an Part I The Deep History of Our Species1 How the Genome Explains Who We Are5，5/10Just have to point out that the intro is very boring。 It's just a bunch of personal opinions and a light biography of his research。 I see this a lot in books。 Often you will improve your book by just deleting the intro chapter。 I get why authors may want to tell readers about their biases in the intro chapter。 But instead they should just avoid biases in the book！ You have time to edit this。 Don't just write stuff and publish it without editing and then find an excuse for it。2 Encounters with Neanderthals6/10First a technical intro then a scientific explanation of how Europeans and East Asians have neanderthal DNA。 The chapter is a bit slow in that the main point is very simple。 It's a fine point， but it's surely something people already know。3 Ancient DNA Opens the Floodgates6/10Denisovans。 A ton of theories and assumptions that I franky am not knowledgeable enough to judge。 I guess he knows what he is talking about and his guesses may be the best on this area， but to me it's too detailed to really find my way around in。 Maybe with a visual DNA gene guide it would be easier to understand。Part II How We Got to Where We Are Today4 Humanity’s Ghosts7/10It's hard to remember all individual chapters， but I liked this one overall。 I like the concept of lost races found in our DNA。5 The Making of Modern Europe7，5/10Strongest chapter so far。6 The Collision That Formed India6，5/10About Indian casts。 Could be more direct。 It's a fine intro， but so hesitant that you leave with a feeling of it not being expansive enough。7 In Search of Native American Ancestors6/10About American Indians。 Unfortunately he does get into culture war topics and he's progressive in his world view。 It does reveal his biases， which is good， but it makes for some terrible points at times as you really don't want personal ideological opinions in a science book。Half the chapter is about morals and how some US tribes have made genetic tribe testing forbidden。 So some researchers have thrown out data they got with compliance from all participants as the participants were afterwards not allowed to take part in this experiment。 This makes it hard to research genetic risks in tribes and it does hurt them。 Often you as a tribe discover that some ancient burials are not genetically related to your tribe which of course hurts your claims to the land。 This chapter is not often about research， but rather about morals so it's by far the easiest chapter to read。 That's a plus at least。8 The Genomic Origins of East Asians7/10A bit complicated to follow the Asian map on audiobook format。 A lot of tribes and groups moved about and intermingled。9 Rejoining Africa to the Human Story7/10Detailed group movements in Africa。 Not much I remember as these are small groups。 It's all simple enough， but enough dates， tribes and countries are mentioned to make it confusing。 Also， he has a very strong focus on USA and Europe so you just constantly read about Black slaves and Europeans in this book which frankly is a letdown as it's old news and boring。 If all chapters have a selfish focus it makes the book lacking on some areas。Part III The Disruptive Genome10 The Genomics of Inequality3/10Moral lectures。 Skip。11 The Genomics of Race and Identity2/10Well， I felt it coming。 In the other chapters you saw him go into social science territory which is way outside his field。 He constantly claims things like there being no genetic evidence showing that races differ on intelligence and he says that people who claim this are racist and stupid。 Yet this claim makes no sense。 There is often no huge conclusive study showing that there is or isn't a specific genetic difference behind many complicated genetic traits because we don't have that many studies on this。 This is therefore still social science territory not genetics， and you need to first and foremost conclude that such genetic differences should exist before finding them。 It's unwise to call people stupid and racist for stating something your field has not yet shown when this is not at all what you even can study。 He just doesn't study intelligence or other traits。 Not a single study he mentions is about traits。 So how can he conclusively conclude that races don't differ on any trait？12 The Future of Ancient DNA5/10Ehhh， a bit more personal comments。My opinion on the book5/10It's a 2，5 star book。 Unfortunately I just can't get myself to recommend it to any kind of reader。 It has a lot of good info， the writing is fine but dry， and the audiobook is good/fine。 But it has enough bad areas for me to not really feel like this is the book to introduce human races。 It's such a popular field that you can easily find much better intro books。 So while the book surely doesn't suck it's just a letdown overall。Firstly， it's very dry and slow。 Nearly all chapters say very， very little compared to how long they are。 He has a constant need to bud in with weak moral lectures and long-winded simplified explanations that don't say that much。 Often single studies or points will be stretched to take up many pages over。 It's also dry and impersonal。 It has an academic writing style to it that makes it seem more truthful， yet this style has its own problems。That's one thing， but then with the ideological moral lectures you get a mix of dry and biased！ At least pick one single poison。 Dry books are supposed to be neutral。 While fun books are more often than not also very ideological。 Both mistakes in one is a no-go。 But at least the dryness is not terrible and the biases are not as common in some chapters。 He just doesn't respect the reader to make his own moral conclusions or figure out very simple things about what this or that group moving about means for the findings。 He thinks the reader is so stupid that he needs to remind people about how evil people are evil or complicated findings are complicated。 He backtalks his own research field。 I'm not sure if he hates his own field or what。 But he at times describes people in his field as racist， destructive， xenophobic and greedy。 He also at times claims that his research into minority groups is morally bad。 He leaves the reader with a want to shut down his research。 So it's a horrible selling pitch for the field overall which is a huge issue for a pop-science book that is supposed to inspire。But among the too many words you find some interesting findings about lost races found in our DNA or how studying ancient DNA helps us understand where we came from。 It's just not a complete package。 It's lacking on enough fronts to make me feel like this is not at all the ideal intro。 But most books about races focus on a single race and are not found on audio so you won't find a 1-to-1 replacement for the book that easily if you are searching for an audiobook。 Still， don't settle。 Read the best of the best。 。。。more
Noula
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I was not expecting to listen to a book so profoundly true when it came to DNA and how we got here。 Yet， alone， who we are as human beings。This book will test what you know but provide an array of evidence that will help you understand evolution as a whole。 There were moments where certain topics went off guard providing other examples。But I will say that David did a great job writing this book for students who are interested in science。
Sarah
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And a half star because it was very interesting。 The author is at pains to say it's a work in progress as the techniques used to find， prepare and analyse the DNA are new and evolving， but then he writes as if the results are clear。 I don't know enough to challenge that but I enjoyed very much the sweeping story that challenges what had been reasonably accepted on the archeological evidence。 Probably best to see it as a new guess conflicting with the old guesses but it's probably hard to write a And a half star because it was very interesting。 The author is at pains to say it's a work in progress as the techniques used to find， prepare and analyse the DNA are new and evolving， but then he writes as if the results are clear。 I don't know enough to challenge that but I enjoyed very much the sweeping story that challenges what had been reasonably accepted on the archeological evidence。 Probably best to see it as a new guess conflicting with the old guesses but it's probably hard to write a whole book remembering to emphasise the scale of the uncertainties。I had to read a lot of it two or three times as the language is not easy to follow and the graphs and maps could be a lot clearer。 As an example - I got very cross with the way the author keeps switching between ways of writing the time scales， sometimes in the same sentence such as "around three thousand to twenty five hundred years ago"， as I found it hard to keep up。I guess apart from the interest of the story， the most important thing is the inclusion （at the end） of discussion of the ethics of this sort of research - the digging up and grinding down of human bones and the way the implications of this sort of research might be used for racism。 The medical benefits of the DNA research are insignificant when set against the horrors of what happened and still happens against groups of people across the world but while racists may grasp any straws to support their position， they don't need those straws， and will create evidence where they want it。 At least a discussion was included here。 。。。more
Doyoung Chung
，
The best book I've read this year so far。 Written by one of the world's leading scientists， this book is the very first of this kind that heralds the arrival of the ancient genome revolution。 I wish I had met this book a bit earlier right after at the moment of publication because a lot of scientific knowledge in the book must have become outdated already at a ferocious rate。 The best book I've read this year so far。 Written by one of the world's leading scientists， this book is the very first of this kind that heralds the arrival of the ancient genome revolution。 I wish I had met this book a bit earlier right after at the moment of publication because a lot of scientific knowledge in the book must have become outdated already at a ferocious rate。 。。。more
Kelly W。
，
I picked up this book after it was used in a workshop on teaching Old Norse-Icelandic classes in an age of renewed interest in the mythical white past。 The workshop used Reich's findings as an example of how to talk both about genetic differences between populations， and how to use scientific evidence to disprove the myth of a "pure" white race。 The workshop itself was helpful， so I decided to look at the book as whole to see what else Reich had to say。The first thing I really appreciated about I picked up this book after it was used in a workshop on teaching Old Norse-Icelandic classes in an age of renewed interest in the mythical white past。 The workshop used Reich's findings as an example of how to talk both about genetic differences between populations， and how to use scientific evidence to disprove the myth of a "pure" white race。 The workshop itself was helpful， so I decided to look at the book as whole to see what else Reich had to say。The first thing I really appreciated about this book was the way it was written。 Reich makes clear that Who We Are is meant to be something of a hybrid: it's not a pop-science book， but it's not aimed solely at specialists， either。 Thus， it's a good book for those who want to learn more about genetics and ancient DNA from an actual expert in the field， and I think Reich respects the reader's intelligence by including a lot of detailed， complex information about how genetic work is done。 Granted， at times， some of the science went over my head， but that's due to my own limitations rather than anything Reich did wrong。 Reich avoids jargon and carefully lays out what kinds of techniques his lab does and why to prove his points， and though it could be a little much， I understood and appreciated why all those things were included。 If you're the type of person who wants a little more than pop science， you might find this book meets those needs。Reich also has a genuine passion and fascination with the pursuit of knowledge， and loves being surprised by scientific findings。 This passion is contagious and made me， as a reader， want to learn more and keep turning the page。 I appreciated， too， that he called for scientists to work more with archaeologists and historians to avoid making elementary mistakes when interpreting data。I also really liked the moments when Reich used science to critique racist myths from the 20th century and in the present。 Reich makes clear at multiple points throughout the book that there is no such thing as a "pure" racial bloodline; all people alive today are the products of millennia of population mixture。 He also stresses that though populations have genetic differences， those differences do not support white supremacist narratives。However， I do think that Reich makes it a little to easy for people to accuse him of upholding or legitimizing some racist ideas。 He spends some time in his book criticizing people who insist race is purely a social construction; in his line of work， genetic differences do exist between populations （people with African ancestry have increased risks for certain genetic diseases， people in Tibet have genetic adaptations that they benefit from， Ashkenazi Jews have increased risks of certain genetic defects， etc。）， so I can understand the frustration he might feel when people insist that no significant differences exist between people of different races。 However， in railing against a forced "orthodoxy，" I think Reich opens himself up to unfair criticism and makes him look like he's fighting against "PC culture。" Granted， he also rails against racists and makes clear that white supremacy is not only harmful， but scientifically unsound。I also think Reich might come across as perpetuating racist ideas due to a small section in his book that outlines how genetics and cognition/intelligence are linked。 Reich highlights the work currently being done in the world of genetics regarding cognition， and admits that some of this work may be misappropriated by white supremacists （or other nationalist groups）。 Granted， Reich also makes clear that， whatever the science says， we should be careful to shape our societies to treat everyone the same and not use genetics to deny people certain rights or opportunities。 While I can get behind that sentiment， I think the turn to cognition is a little out of place in this book， and even if there is merit in having a conversation about the ethics of studying the link between cognition and genetics， I don't think Reich is the person to helm that discussion， mainly because it requires a lot of time and nuance （as in we need to account for how economics/class and other environmental or social factors play a role）， and Reich doesn't devote that much time to it in this book。Lastly， I think Reich comes across as a little insensitive to Indigenous/First Nations people。 While Reich acknowledges the ways in which white/Western scientists have taken advantage of native peoples， I also think he underestimates the strength of that trauma。 Given various tribes' refusal to participate in genetic research， I can， to some extent， understand Reich's professional frustration; but I also think Reich positions his field as benevolent and somewhat dismissive of tribal consent。 Again， I think the topic of how to go about doing genetic research on indigenous populations is worth having; I just don't think Reich is the one to helm it。TL;DR: Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past is a fascinating look at the history of ancient human migration using genetics。 Despite some moments when Reich struggles to overcome his own biases， this book is an honest look at the possibilities genetic research can offer， as well as a powerful refutation of racist ideas about "pure" lineages。 。。。more
Ankit Modi
，