Who We Are and How We Got Here
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Who We Are and How We Got Here
Buy Now for $23.62
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Narrated by:
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John Lescault
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Written by:
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David Reich
About this listen
A groundbreaking book about how ancient DNA has profoundly changed our understanding of human history
Geneticists like David Reich have made astounding advances in the field of genomics, which is proving to be as important as archaeology, linguistics, and written records as a means to understand our ancestry.
In Who We Are and How We Got Here, Reich allows listeners to discover how the human genome provides not only all the information a human embryo needs to develop but also the hidden story of our species. Reich delves into how the genomic revolution is transforming our understanding of modern humans and how DNA studies reveal deep inequalities among different populations, between the sexes, and among individuals. Provocatively, Reich's book suggests that there might very well be biological differences among human populations but that these differences are unlikely to conform to common stereotypes.
Drawing upon revolutionary findings and unparalleled scientific studies, Who We Are and How We Got Here is a captivating glimpse into humankind - where we came from and what that says about our lives today.
A New York Times best-seller in Science Books. A #1 Amazon.com bestseller in the Biochemistry List.
©2018 David Reich (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.You may also enjoy...
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Overall37
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Performance27
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Story27
In this 12-lecture meditation on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, you'll uncover the clarity and ethical wisdom of one of humanity's greatest minds. Father Koterski shows how and why this great philosopher can help you deepen and improve your own thinking on questions of morality and leading the best life. The aim of these lectures is to provide you with a clear and thoughtful introduction to Aristotle as a moral philosopher.
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A very good synopsis.
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Written by: The Great Courses, and others
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Overall8
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Performance6
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- Narrated by: James Langton
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Overall53
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Performance42
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Overall4
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Performance4
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Story4
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This book advanced my knowledge of the subject!
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Great content, monotonous narration
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Important
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Great book. Terrible Reader.
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At the same time, this is only *sort of* a book about aDNA. The first part focuses on it exclusively, but then there's this big section in the middle where the author tends to use a lot more data from modern populations due to the paucity of aDNA data. This is fine, but technically is a slight diversion. In the near future, I do hope we get more data from East Asia / the Americas, as those are the main areas where data is lacking (with the caveat that the data must be collected ethically).
The final part of the book is more of an address of the social ramifications of aDNA research. This is referenced throughout the text (ie. the political ramifications of non-south asian ancestry in India), but the final chapters really focus on it. I think it's good to have this part, but the author is wandering into an area that he is less well suited to address. On the whole I agree with him (most especially his point that academic institutions discouraging genetic studies to avoid sounding racist is actually harmful, because it drives the field away from peer review and towards politically radical pseudo-scientists), but if you find controversy in the book you'll find it in these chapters.
All in all, I would still strongly encourage anyone with an interest in anthropology, history, applied molecular biology, or bioinformatics to give this a read. I fully believe the author when he posits that aDNA with be of the same order of importance as carbon dating, and even for the general public this isn't something to be left ignorant on! I do hope though to see a proper synthesis of the field in a decade or two when the data are more complete.
I have a number of feelings about this book
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