Book Report on, The Journey of Man. Relate to our Biological Anthropology class content and subjects reviewed this quarter.

Journey

Report on Spencer Wells ' The Journey of Man : A Genetic Odyssey

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Report on Spencer Wells ' The Journey of Man : A Genetic Odyssey

Spencer Wells takes a very technical and academic subject and makes it not only understandable but interesting and enjoyable in his The Journey of Man : A Genetic Odyssey . As Wells is not simply an author explaining the work of others but a leading population geneticist his writing is authoritative and conveys his insider 's ' sense of curiosity and excitement . Journey describes

the evolutionary history of man as well as man 's movement from origin in Africa to the rest of the globe and particularly how genetic science documents the journey . Additionally he describes the interrelationship between genetic science , physical evidence , and linguistic research in determining the paths of the journey as well as solving a variety of anthropological mysteries

There are three specific aspects of interest in Journey which relate precisely to various s in human anthropology . Wells provides a thorough and entertaining explanation of evolutionary fact and theory including biographical sketches of the significant historical figures He also guides the reader through an introduction of genetics and genomics and their importance in investigative research . Finally he places the historical journey of man in context with current issues of human biological diversity

Wells begins Journey with a review of the major contributors to evolutionary theory , including Charles Darwin , Thomas Huxley and Louis Agassiz . He explains the early theories that developed in the latter part of the nineteenth century as well as earlier contributions by Linnaeus . The concepts of natural selection , nature versus nurture , and survival of the fittest are described , and the social importance of these concepts at the time . The early evolutionary theories developed as a result of what could be observed , and what could explain the obvious diversity . While evolutionary theory was clearly within the domain of biologists , naturalists and philosophers , there were and are consequences in other areas as well . He notes the development of the Eugenics theory and the writings of Carleton Coon , who advanced the theory that there are five distinct human subspecies ' which give rise to assertions of genetic superiority (9 . Wells cites several historical examples where the idea of genetic superiority , and therefore genetic inferiority provided the reason ' for a variety of horrific events , from forced sterilization to the systematic extermination practiced by the Nazis (12 . Later in the text Wells documents how Coon 's theories have been completely and scientifically refuted

As the title would suggest , a fundamental knowledge of genetics and genomics is required to understand the text . Wells explains that genetic variation was critical to the study of human diversity because it is genetic change that actually produces evolution (14 . On the fundamental level Wells covers basic population genetics ' including the three theoretical concepts of mutation , selection , and genetic drift (18-19 . Examples of each concept are provided and Wells also covers early genetic work using blood samples to determine genetic variations With this...