Reviews the modern human origins debate, focusing on the genetic evidence relating to human origins, including genetic variation in living humans and recent discoveries of ancient DNA from fossil specimens.
Reflections of the Past; Evolution and Genetic History; The Modern Human Origins Debate; In Search of Our Common Ancestor; Genetic Diversity and Recent Human Evolution; Genetic Differences Between Human Populations; How Many Ancestors?; Neandertal DNA; Putting the Pieces Together; Chapter Notes; Bibliography; Index.
This textbook provides a good introduction to the field of human populations genetics for people lacking a genetics background... (Trends in Genetics, Vol. 17, No. 9, September 2001) "...controversies...grounded in a solid college-level introduction to how the genetic code and evolution account for genetic diversity." (SciTech Book News, Vol. 25, No. 3, September 2001) "...lucid and engaging...enjoyable to read...will appeal to the general science reader...suitable for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses..." (American Journal of Human Biology, Vol. 14, No. 4, July/August 2002) "...an accessible guide through the models and the data...will be a popular recommended text..." (Heredity)