A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes Kindle Edition

A layman's understanding of our prehistoric roots and how DNA works to unravel the mysteries of our species' development.

This is a book about genetics, about what the human genome (the "complete map" first sketched out in 2000 and by 2018 in considerably more detail). "Complete map" is in quotes because as Dr. Rutherford points out there yet remain 99% of the whole genetic compliment whose origin and function we do not yet fully understand. This is the lesson of the whole book. We began to understand what genetics did back in the mid 1800s given Darwin, Galton, and Mendel. By the late 1950s we had connected inheritance to DNA. By the 1980s we had a handle on some genes and their DNA mapping. In 2000 or so we identified all of 20 million human genes, meaning genes that actually result in proteins. Today, in 2018 we understand much more about those parts of our genome (every person's whole compliment of DNA) that serve other purposes, but there remains much to learn.This book is about all of that. In its first part it is about what modern genetics tells us about the evolution and migration of human beings, both of the modern sort we all are, and some of the various alternative species of Homo that occupied the Earth earlier than modern man and for a while along side them. This is not a technical book. Dr. Rutherford explains everything with little attention to the chemical details. If you have heard of genes and you know they are related to DNA, the author will take you the rest of the way. The main message here is that the path upwards is not a neat tree with clean branches from common ancestors, but more like a bush with various tangled crossovers while a few branches begin to stand out. Shapes of skulls, structures of jaws, types of tools all tell a complicated story. It turns out that adding genetics to the tool kit further complicates it.In its second part, Rutherford focuses on the genetics of human populations of today. Again the story is: we are learning much, the human situation is a lot more complicated than they seemed only a few decades back. Genes whose function we thought pretty clear-cut turn out to be influenced by genes elsewhere all over the human chromosomes. Sometimes the influence isn't strictly genetic at all. A gene that might normally be turned off (or on) might be turned on (or off) by the conditions of your mother's womb, what she ate, and what you eat in the first months and years of your life. Of the whole set of human genomics, 98% is common to every man and woman on Earth (indeed we are something like 97% genetically in common with almost every mammal), while the 2% that vary account for all the differences there are in the human population!The book is all about all of these things and more like if and how humans are still evolving. As Dr. Rutherford relates the material of the subject he intersperses it all with stories from his own background, and throws in a sly pun or too in the bargain. Overall the same message. The out workings of genetics are more complicated than we imagined, but genomic biology is yet in its early stages perhaps like astronomy and cosmology was back in the 1930s. Cosmology has come a long way since then and genomics likewise has a long long way to go, but there can be little doubt that 20 or 30 years from now we will understand much more and be able to do much more as a result. No as the author points out we will probably never evolve to fly under our own power, but we will, eventually, cure cancer.

I heard Adam Rutherford on a Peaceful Science podcast and was stimulated to buy this book. I am impressed with how well he writes. I'm not a biologist but found myself getting into the story of humanity Rutherford was telling. I found myself eager to keep reading to see how the story at hand would end. He has an easy style and recognizes that genetic and genomic science is new to many readers and seeks to explain the terms he uses. He helpfully included a glossary of terms in the back which I used often enough to remind myself until I was confident I understood the terms as he later used them. I also appreciated how he situates science in the project of human knowing. Science is ever learning, ever correcting, and so we should need to keep revisiting the story science tells of humanity as "we" learn more.I very much enjoyed Chapter 5, "The End of Race." I think this is a significant chapter for us as we think about current issues of racial injustice. He wrote (p. 218): "Racism is hateful bullying, and a means of reinforcing self-identity at the expense of others: Whatever you are, you're not one of us. If there is on thing that my own torturous family tree demonstrates it is that families make a mockery of racial epithets, and racial definitions as used in common parlance are deeply problematic. Modern genetics has shown just that, too, and I'll be navigating through some of the data on that in the next few pages. But here is the idea I will be investigating: There are no essential genetic elements for any particular group of people who might be identified as a 'race.' As far as genetics is concerned, race does not exist." He brings up and explores the irony that his "The science of genetics was founded specifically on the study of racial inequality, by a racist. The history of my field," Rutherford writes, "is inextricably intertwined with ideas that we now find toxic: racism, empire, prejudice, and eugenics." (p. 219). He later says, still in chapter 5, "Genetically, two black people are more likely to be more different to each other than a black person and a white person." (p. 235) Read that last quotation again. He then says, "In other words, while the physical differences are clearly visible between a white and a black person, the total amount of difference is smaller that between two black people." (p. 235)A few pages later (p. 237) he notes, "The unglamorous truth is that there are but a handful of uniquely human traits that we have clearly demonstrated are adaptations evolved to thrive in specific geographical regions. Skin color is one. The ability to digest milk is another..."I found this to be a timely book, one that I felt I needed to read. But it soon became a fun book that turned out to be a delight to read. As you read this book, you will find yourself as I found myself in the story that Adam Rutherford told. It really is A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived.

A fun, interestingly written book on our genetic history and how it impacts us and tells us who we are (or doesn’t). Debunking myths and focusing on emerging knowledge and analysis, you will never view yourself and your place in humanity the same way.

Adam Rutherford's book is well written, very readable, and somewhat entertaining. It's suitable for folks like me who know little (if anything) about geneticsFor the most part, the author makes challenging subjects relatively easy to understand. He has a strong sense of humor, and he isn't shy about using rough language.The book does contain a "References and Further Readings" section, but I didn't find that section particularly informative or helpful.

I bought this book for an anthropology class. If I’m being honest it wasn’t my kind of book but if you’re into this genere it will be a good read.

Well written and readable story of the gene and the scientific research that has lead to our understanding of our genetic history up to the very recent breakthroughs of DNA sequencing. Some parts get a bit tedious and detailed; such as his list of letters in gene sequencing (pages 281 - 283); but it can be skipped without missing the main story..There is also quite a bit if personal history and information that adds little to the main points; and he tends to be a bit repetitive;. with the same information appearing in various chapters.He has a section on the science of inheritance, in particular if violence is an inherited trait, ; and uses mass-murder-shooter Adam Lanza as one example; but discount genetic inheritance as a direct consequence; though temperament and irascibility is inherited to a degree. That does not mean that such a child will develop into a murderer, or even a criminal. He makes a good point on page 323 that there would no shootings if they didn't have guns.

an easy, amusing, well-written style about the latest research into dna revelations. The description of "bush" rather than "tree" clearly explains how closely, in time, we are related. I was particularly interested in the origins and political implications of native American ancestry.

This is a great book. Written in a breezy fashion but loaded with lots of scientific tidbits that will make you a big hit at the water cooler. I wish he gave more details about the mechanics of these discoveries but that’s a minor point. Great read!

I purchased this book to deepen my knowledge of DNA. I recently had Ancestry DNA done and thought it would give me an overall view of this science. The book exceeded my expectations.

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