A Good Science Read: On the Origin of Modern Humans

Series 2 Episode 7: The book 'Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the new science of the human past' is a compelling account of the origin of modern humans. Reich explains how our recent ability to study ancient DNA has dramatically revised our understanding of how humans spread all over the world. He describes evidence for interbreeding between ancient humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans and shows how we carry in our genes indications that we are descended from ghost populations that no longer exist but must once have done so. He considers how modern human populations are related to each other in ways no-one expected and ponders the implications of the human genome revolution for society.

Chris Miller is Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry at Brandeis University and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

Websites
https://www.brandeis.edu/biochemistry/faculty/miller-chris.html
https://reich.hms.harvard.edu/