Ancient History as Revealed by DNA

Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past by David Reich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found this a very useful, very informative book. Recommended.

In a way, it's three different books. The main part of it is, for me, a home run. The other sections are good, but less fun.

I'll elaborate.

The central them of the book--the biggest slice--is about our current state of knowledge in human ancestry based on complete DNA sequencing is outstanding. The author is a key figure in that field, which is rapidly changing, and he talks from the perspective of an insider with more knowledge and authority than just about anyone in the world. The details he reveals about different groups of people, the mixing of people, the movements of people, is amazing and exactly what I came here for. I'm up for the story of how the research came about, too, and we get that. I won't summarize what we learn about human origins--it's a complex story--but it's fascinating, and I'm eager to see every new discovery as it is made.

Secondarily, the book deals with the political situation regarding the gathering of DNA samples, including relevant laws, especially here in the US. It's not surprising that some groups--Native Americans and African Americans, mostly--have become wary of researchers and their promises. I understand on the one hand and hope it gets ironed out on the other. The discussion here is a good primer on the topic, though it's not my particular interest.

The third part of the book discusses the sensitive nature of research into DNA when comparing people of different ethnicities around the world. Some researchers, as the author shows us, are attempting to use DNA research to support old, ugly prejudices and stereotypes. While he argues on the one hand that they are getting the evidence wrong, making claims that are not supported by the facts, he does agree that continued research along these lines will inevitably reveal actual differences between groups of all sorts which might be used to further racist arguments and division. In spite of that, he believes that the benefit of research, especially with regard to developing treatment for health challenges specific to widely separated human lineages, far outweighs the potential for mischief. And, he argues, the coming knowledge is practically inevitable.

This part is somewhat interesting, but it's a very different topic than the rest of the work, and might have been developed into its own book. IMO.

Considered all together, it's a wonderful book, a must for anyone interested in the history of human groups and their movements in deep time.

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