Spencer Wells describes the science behind deep ancestry. He goes into how both the male Y-chromosomes and the mitochondrial DNA of the X-chromosome can be traced back tens of thousands of years, showing general migration patterns of early humans. He highlights the possibility of this kind of genetics to supplement on-going anthropological research into early man.

People interested in genealogy and genetics but had never been introduced to the science before would appreciate this quick read.

It was very helpful that he had profiles of real people he had tested. It helped bring the haplogroups he was describing to life. But he really only went into a couple main groups. I thought he was doing good when he was able to marry genetics to similar discoveries in anthropology to help give the reader a better picture of what life was like 50,000 years ago. I only wish he had included some actual sources for this research.

It was too short. I was left wanting more. I wanted more detail and more examples. When I bought the book I didn't realize that Wells was pretty much giving the world an update on the progress his Genographic Project has made so far. It made me wish he had just waited and presented complete findings when the project was done. To his credit he admits this failing, but when he points out how many more samples he needs, it sounds like self-promotion, not a desire to educate people on the science. Also, in attempts to make this book as accessible as possible there were parts that were extremely dumbed-down e.g. What DNA is.

I bought this book because I was contemplating getting my DNA tested, but after reading it I don't think I'm going to. They can only really test my maternal line, which I know came from Germany. Not sure what else they could tell me. For men they can test maternal and paternal lines, which might be more interesting for my husband since his dad was adopted.

Despite its failings, I did feel an inter-connectedness with other people around the world.

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Created Aug 16, 2007 at 11:21am • Submit your own review...