Who We Are and How We Got Here

2018-03-29 Science

Author : David Reich
Release : 2018-03-29
Genre : Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 387/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Who We Are and How We Got Here by : David Reich

Download or read book Who We Are and How We Got Here written by David Reich. This book was released on 2018-03-29. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The past few years have seen a revolution in our ability to map whole genome DNA from ancient humans. With the ancient DNA revolution, combined with rapid genome mapping of present human populations, has come remarkable insights into our past. This important new data has clarified and added to our knowledge from archaeology and anthropology, helped resolve long-existing controversies, challenged long-held views, and thrown up some remarkable surprises. The emerging picture is one of many waves of ancient human migrations, so that all populations existing today are mixes of ancient ones, as well as in many cases carrying a genetic component from Neanderthals, and, in some populations, Denisovans. David Reich, whose team has been at the forefront of these discoveries, explains what the genetics is telling us about ourselves and our complex and often surprising ancestry. Gone are old ideas of any kind of racial 'purity', or even deep and ancient divides between peoples. Instead, we are finding a rich variety of mixtures. Reich describes the cutting-edge findings from the past few years, and also considers the sensitivities involved in tracing ancestry, with science sometimes jostling with politics and tradition. He brings an important wider message: that we should celebrate our rich diversity, and recognize that every one of us is the result of a long history of migration and intermixing of ancient peoples, which we carry as ghosts in our DNA. What will we discover next?

Ancient DNA

2022-02-22 Science

Author : Elizabeth D Jones
Release : 2022-02-22
Genre : Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 37X/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Ancient DNA by : Elizabeth D Jones

Download or read book Ancient DNA written by Elizabeth D Jones. This book was released on 2022-02-22. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The untold story of the rise of the new scientific field of ancient DNA research, and how Jurassic Park and popular media influenced its development Ancient DNA research—the recovery of genetic material from long-dead organisms—is a discipline that developed from science fiction into a reality between the 1980s and today. Drawing on scientific, historical, and archival material, as well as original interviews with more than fifty researchers worldwide, Elizabeth Jones explores the field’s formation and explains its relationship with the media by examining its close connection to de-extinction, the science and technology of resurrecting extinct species. She reveals how the search for DNA from fossils flourished under the influence of intense press and public interest, particularly as this new line of research coincided with the book and movie Jurassic Park. Ancient DNA is the first account to trace the historical and sociological interplay between science and celebrity in the rise of this new research field. In the process, Jones argues that ancient DNA research is more than a public-facing science: it is a celebrity science.

Ancient DNA

2012-01-01 Nature

Author : Beth Alison Shapiro
Release : 2012-01-01
Genre : Nature
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 169/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Ancient DNA by : Beth Alison Shapiro

Download or read book Ancient DNA written by Beth Alison Shapiro. This book was released on 2012-01-01. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancient DNA presents an overview of the many of the protocols commonly used to study ancient DNA. These include laboratory instructions, extraction protocols, laboratory techniques, and suggestions for appropriate analytical approaches to make sense of the sequences obtained.

Ancient DNA

2012-12-06 Science

Author : Bernd Herrmann
Release : 2012-12-06
Genre : Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 181/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Ancient DNA by : Bernd Herrmann

Download or read book Ancient DNA written by Bernd Herrmann. This book was released on 2012-12-06. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ancient DNA refers to DNA which can be recovered and analyzed from clinical, museum, archaeological and paleontological specimens. Ancient DNA ranges in age from less than 100 years to tens of millions of years. The study of ancient DNA is a young field, but it has been revolutionized by the application of polymerase chain reaction technology, and interest is growing very rapidly. Fields as diverse as evolution, anthropology, medicine, agriculture, and even law enforcement have quickly found applications in the recovery of ancient DNA. This book contains contributions from many of the "first generation" researchers who pioneered the development and application of ancient DNA methods. Their chapters present the protocols and precautions which have resulted in the remarkable results obtained in recent years. The range of subjects reflects the wide diversity of applications that are emerging in research on ancient DNA, including the study of DNA to analyze kinship, recovery of DNA from organisms trapped in amber, ancient DNA from human remains preserved in a variety of locations and conditions, DNA recovered from herbarium and museum specimens, and DNA isolated from ancient plant seeds or compression fossils. Ancient DNA will serve as a valuable source of information, ideas, and protocols for anyone interested in this extraordinary field.

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