Ancestors in Our Genome: The New Science of Human Evolution

by Eugene E. Harris

Overview

The complete DNA molecules comprising the human genome were deciphered two decades ago. With this discovery began a remarkable genomic voyage back in time yielding a new science of human evolution. We are just beginning to unravel our full genomic history and answering age-old questions about how and when we evolved. For the first time, we are finding our ancestors in our genome and gleaning tantalizing clues about our past. Molecular anthropologist Eugene E. Harris now gives us an updated and expanded version of the original Ancestors in Our Genome. Written from the perspective of population genetics, and in simple terms, his book traces human origins back to our earliest human ancestors and explains how our genome has adapted as we spread to colonize new regions on Earth. Harris's book reveals the latest insights into our relationships with our extinct cousins, the Neandertals and Denisovans, and describes where, when and to what extent we mated with them, probing the good and bad consequences of this.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199978205
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/31/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	200
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Eugene E. Harris is Professor of Biological Sciences and Geology at the City University of New York and a Research Affiliate of the Center for the Study of Human Origins at New York University.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Prologue Chapter 1. Looks Can Be Deceiving Chapter 2. Many Trees in the Forest: The DNA Quest to Find Our Closest Ape Relative Chapter 3. The Great Divorce: How and When Did Humans and Chimpanzees Part Ways? Chapter 4. A Population Crash in the Past Chapter 5. What Can the Genome Tell Us about Being Human? Chapter 6. The Genomic Origins of Modern Humans Chapter 7. The Ongoing Evolutionary Journey Chapter 8. Kissing Cousins-Clues in Ancient Genomes Epilogue Glossary Notes Index

Editorial Reviews

10/06/2014
With the sequencing of the human genome, the genomes of many of our primate relatives, and those of both Neanderthals and Denisovans (another hominin), scientists are now able to answer previously unimaginable questions about our origins. Harris, of New York University’s Center for the Study of Human Origins, uses these new data sets and tools to “tell the story of the genetic quest, from small stretches of DNA to entire genomes, to trace our past to the origin of our lineage and find our closest ape relative.” He presents a sophisticated introduction to population genetics, explaining how gene data can be used to verify or dismiss competing hypotheses for how and when early humans moved out of Africa; the size and timing of the ancestral population that gave rise to both humans and chimpanzees; and how and when humans, and perhaps human ancestors, developed the ability to speak. Harris also explores the current knowledge of individual gene changes that underlie human physiology and behavior, and describes how we know how much Neanderthal and Denisovan genetic material is extant in various human groups while discussing the evolutionary implications of those remnants. The book is technical, thus challenging for the general reader, but is written well enough to make the effort worthwhile. B&w illus. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Shortlisted for the 2015 Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science.

"[Harris] has written an excellent analysis of modern human evolution from a molecular evolution perspective. [...] This is the best book I've ever read on the subject of random genetic drift." — Larry Moran, Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto

"Simply indispensable for any reader wishing to learn about the latest research on human origins." —Library Journal, starred review

"The book is technical, thus challenging for the general reader, but is written well enough to make the effort worthwhile." —Publisher's Weekly

"Ancestors in Our Genome tells the amazing story of human evolution as it has been revealed by the study of our DNA. Eugene Harris, a rare anthropologist who has studied the differences in the DNA of humans and other primates, has written a superb book about the latest discoveries comparing the DNA genomes of apes and humans-both living and fossilized . . . An enjoyable and wonderfully enlightening read." —Jody Hey, Professor and Director, Center for Computational Genomics and Genetics, Temple University and author of Genes, Categories, and Species

"In a lucid and engaging style, Eugene Harris delivers a clear account of the latest insights in genomic studies that are giving humans a more comprehensive understanding of our evolutionary history, our place in nature, and where we may be headed." —Donald Johanson, Virginia M. Ullman Chair in Human Origins and Founding Director of the Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University

"It is a daunting and confusing task to make sense of the avalanche of genetic information that has recently become available. Fortunately, Harris's book is a concise and engaging explanation of what we have learned about human evolution from studying genomes. Harris clearly explains without jargon the basics of genetics and genomics, how and when humans evolved, and what about our genes make us different from our closest living and extinct relatives." —Daniel Lieberman, Chair, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University and author of The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease

"In the 'Age of Genomics,' this book is an absolute must-have for anyone interested in human evolution. In the most accessible manner, Eugene E. Harris enlightens how and why genomes represent such powerful evidence to understand our past. If you want to know why paleontologists and geneticists fight over evolutionary trees, whether chimpanzees and primitive hominins interbred after they split, how large the first human population was, or how in modern humans bad genes could become good genes, open Ancestors in Our Genome." —Jean-Jacques Hublin, Director, Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

"Written in a very clear and easy to follow style, Ancestors in Our Genome is notable for its inclusion of really up-to-date research. For the uninitiated, it's a great guide to the whole subject area. If you already have some knowledge, it delivers important insights on the latest findings." —Evan Hadingham, Senior Science Editor at NOVA WGBH

"Eugene Harris' Ancestors in Our Genome is an extremely clear and readable introduction to the studies of genetics and genomics that are advancing our understanding of our evolutionary history. He describes, in clear prose, both the most recent discoveries in primate phylogeny and human evolution and the methods underlying them. Most significantly, he emphasizes how studies of population genetics and genomic sequencing interact in interpretations of primate and human genetic evolution." —John G. Fleagle, Evolutionary Anthropology

"Ancestors in Our Genome provides a good basic view of modern human evolutionary biology. Recommended." —Choice

"One of the book's laudable features is its accuracy. Errors are common in popular science books, but not this one. Harris cites some of the most pertinent research on the molecular foundations of human evolution, and he is invariably true to the original research. ... Though the effort to read this book may be considerable for those not familiar with genomic science, it is well worth it. Readers will come away from it with a powerful and up-to-date understanding of human evolution and of evolution in general." —Reports of the National Center for Science Education

"...readers looking for an up-to-date, clearly written, and well-illustrated tour through the dynamics of human evolution will find no better guide than this compelling volume." —Bioscience

"...a good overview of the state of the science regarding the genomics of human evolution." —The Scientist

"All in all, the book shines when it discuses the recent technological advances in DNA sequencing, which allows readers a never-before-seen view into our genetic history. ...if you are interested in learning about the most recent findings in population genetics and human origins, then this book is a great start." —The Daily of the University of Washington

"Harris gives us glimpses of the science behind these amazing discoveries of our ancestors. He explains the basics for non-biologists before diving deep into human genomics and population genetics. He unobtrusively notes his involvement in the work. The writing is always clean and light in spite of the tough concepts and jargon. The result is an incredible story of what genes and genomes can tell us about our distant past and our current condition." —The Key Reporter

"[A]ccessible, informative, and entertaining. ... Ancestors in Our Genome is impressively thorough and current and will be a great resource to anyone interested in understanding how population genomic theory has been used to test fundamental hypotheses concerning the origins of our species." —American Journal of Human Biology

"[O]n the whole this is a substantive, engaging, and worthwhile introduction to molecular anthropology for educated nonexperts." —Quarterly Review of Biology

From the Publisher

★ 11/01/2014
Harris (biology, Queensborough Community Coll.; New York Univ.) explains how genomics begins to unravel the details of our species' origins. With genetic maps for living people, other primates, and fossil ancestors, scientists are beginning to piece together our relationship to our predecessors and ascertain which genes make us human, one trait at a time. Harris recounts these developments in language any motivated reader who has taken high school biology can understand. He lucidly defines cladistics and genetic drift and explains the role of each gene mentioned. Crisp, grayscale diagrams enhance the smooth prose. Harris's work might reach a wider audience with more thorough explanations of protein synthesis, the relationship between Mendelian and molecular genetics, and gaps in the fossil record. For readers seeking additional background in basic genetics, there is Daniel Fairbank's Relics of Eden, while Mark Jobling and others' Human Evolutionary Genetics offers an advanced approach. Sadly, the publisher lists Harris's affiliation solely as New York University rather than also Queensborough Community College, which Harris uses with other publications, and where he communicates with an extended following. VERDICT Simply indispensable for any reader wishing to learn about the latest research on human origins.—Eileen H. Kramer, Georgia Perimeter Coll. Lib., Clarkston

Library Journal