jmanchester0's review
3.5
We are all Africans under the skin.
While at one point we thought human differences started many millennia ago, maybe we all descend from a common ancestor that came out of Africa less than 100,000 years ago. (This may be, ironically, closer to the young earth theory than previous theories of human evolution. :) Well, that is closer, but not quite close!)
In fact, human races living across the globe from each other are genetically "less different...even than lowland gorillas living in a restricted geographic area..." Two humans of completely different races and cultures have much more in common genetically than 2 gorillas living across the same forest. That's weird. And interesting. It shows we are all much more alike than many of us want to think.
And it dashes against the rocks racial differences suggested by some scientists (like the authors of The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life).
This book is heavy on the information. I'm sure it doesn't help that a lot of this is new to me. Maybe I should have started with more of a primer. But it was good in describing - or arguing for - how man migrated originally from Africa. I honestly don't have the background in this field to evaluate it, but it gives compelling evidence. I'd be interested in seeing if current theories (this book now being 20 years old) agree.
More research!
While at one point we thought human differences started many millennia ago, maybe we all descend from a common ancestor that came out of Africa less than 100,000 years ago. (This may be, ironically, closer to the young earth theory than previous theories of human evolution. :) Well, that is closer, but not quite close!)
In fact, human races living across the globe from each other are genetically "less different...even than lowland gorillas living in a restricted geographic area..." Two humans of completely different races and cultures have much more in common genetically than 2 gorillas living across the same forest. That's weird. And interesting. It shows we are all much more alike than many of us want to think.
And it dashes against the rocks racial differences suggested by some scientists (like the authors of The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life).
This book is heavy on the information. I'm sure it doesn't help that a lot of this is new to me. Maybe I should have started with more of a primer. But it was good in describing - or arguing for - how man migrated originally from Africa. I honestly don't have the background in this field to evaluate it, but it gives compelling evidence. I'd be interested in seeing if current theories (this book now being 20 years old) agree.
More research!
More...