The History and Geography of Human Genes

Book Description

L. Luca Cavalli-Sforza and his collaborators Paolo Menozzi and Alberto Piazza have devoted fourteen years to one of the most compelling scientific projects of our time: the reconstruction of where human populations originated and the paths by which they spread throughout the world. In this volume, the culmination of their research, the authors explain their pathbreaking use of genetic data, which they integrate with insights from geography, ecology, archaeology, physical anthropology, and linguistics to create the first full-scale account of human evolution as it occurred across all continents. This interdisciplinary approach enables them to address a wide range of issues that continue to incite debate: the timing of the first appearance of our species, the problem of African origins and the significance of work recently done on mitochondrial DNA and the popular notion of an "African Eve," the controversy pertaining to the peopling of the Americas, and the reason for the presence of non-Indo-European languages--Basque, Finnish, and Hungarian--in Europe.

The authors reconstruct the history of our evolution by focusing on genetic divergence among human groups. Using genetic information accumulated over the last fifty years, they examined over 110 different inherited traits, such as blood types, HLA factors, proteins, and DNA markers, in over eighteen hundred, primarily aboriginal, populations. By mapping the worldwide geographic distribution of the genes, the scientists are now able to chart migrations and, in exploring genetic distance, devise a clock by which to date evolutionary history: the longer two populations are separated, the greater their genetic difference should be. This volume highlights the authors' contributions to genetic geography, particularly their technique for making geographic maps of gene frequencies and their synthetic method of detecting ancient migrations, as for example the migration of Neolithic farmers from the Middle East toward Europe, West Asia, and North Africa.

Beginning with an explanation of their major sources of data and concepts, the authors give an interdisciplinary account of human evolution at the world level. Chapters are then devoted to evolution on single continents and include analyses of genetic data and how these data relate to geographic, ecological, archaeological, anthropological, and linguistic information. Comprising a wide range of viewpoints, a vast store of new and recent information on genetics, and a generous supply of visual elements, including 522 geographic maps, this book is a unique source of facts and a catalyst for further debate and research.

Customer Reviews:

What I got out of this book.......2005-05-07

I learned who the people closest genetically to Basques are. The French! Makes sense the French have a a portion of Basque country in their political nation of France. I'm of French background myself. French-Canadian that is.

Great book, if you can get through it..........2005-04-06

This book is very hard to get through as someone with no backing in genetics or biology, but it is very interesting, and it shows how we humans are really just like a couple thousand breeds of dogs, all slightly different, but with the same ancestor, our distant ancestor though was probably no wolf. It is interesting when they mention the little unexplainable historical abnormalities (african genes and caucasian genes in latin american indigenous populations, perhaps?) that they see in the genes of some groups of humans.

I allmost want to dedicate my life to genetics because of all the damn interesting knowledge that could be spawned from the information presented by the authors of this book. If you know anyone studying in this field, you must give them this book for christmas or something, please.

It is now my theory that human language has been the driving force behind human evolution, how often do two parents without a common language stay together 18+ years to raise a family? Just think about that, and it explains the human diaspora pretty well. Humans very rarely mate outside of their language group. You have a group of people in africa that speak the same language, then later on, two languages develop, or three or four, these people migrate off, and form a tribe, this tribe doesnt mate with other tribes because romance and love just dont work without a common language. Tribal names and language names are usually connected anyway, and this is why. When you read this book, you need to view humanity as an animal group pretty much, its very objective without any feeling. Human beings are creatures of communication, communication has driven our evolution forward. Writing started cities, before even that farming started widespread language and trading. It seems that the natural path this should take is more communication, but most people dont like to talk, fewer like to read and write, though that is our path of destiny as humans. The average american spends more money on lottery tickets every year than books. TV is far too widespread now, the love for books is dying, though civilization has allways been built upon the libraries of past civilizations, the histories of the victors.

Anyway,
The things that could be done if these scientists who wrote this book could get together to do research with the people that are at the tip of the spear in supercomputer research...

If you want to have some mental fun/anguish, then this book should be read in conjunction with 'Forbidden Archaeology' by Michael Cremo.

Try it =)

Note that this book is not made for the layman, but if you are a layman, and have a biology textbook laying around, you can get through it no problem.

Any one who is thinking of reading this book, or anyone who has should really do a bit of research on National Geographic's Genographic project that is collecting genetic information all over the world right now (the same migratory route tracing that is in this book) and building a huge database...The cool thing though is that you can send National Geographic $100, and they will send you a kit, you send a cheek swab back, and later on, they tell you everything that you ever wanted to know about your ancestors, and their migratory routes, back 60,000 years...
The database is also building daily, so the information that you will first get about your genes will get more comprehensive as time goes on, and more genetic samples are collected from 10's or 100's of thousands of people all over the planet...
Anyone who reads this book actually MUST do a google search on this National Geographic Genographic Project, right now =)

History and Geography of Homan Genes.......2004-06-09

This work, in hardback, is written with the advanced researcher in mind. The author is world famous for his pioneering efforts in identifying traits in particular traits in ethnic groups with unique genetic markers. The color plates in the index section can be helpful to those who know how to intrepret them.
It's a scholarly treatment of a highly technical subject and a thorough one as well. This is ground-breaking work collected from many samples and analyzed in detail. I think this should be required reading for college students in the field of genetic research.

A review of everything.......2003-06-17

Cavalli-Sforza presents the nearest approximation possible to the correlation of all measurable human genes, markers and attributes. You might think of the work as the "unified field theory" for evloutionary biology, culture and linguistics.

While the heft even of the abridged version is imposing, the component parts are manageable for those who already have basic statistical knowledge or who are willing to pay attention to the author's explanations. The world's populations are addressed in geographic chunks, and then at various appropriate points, more general conclusions drawn from the pieces.

Given the advances in genetic research acheived since publication, the model may ultimately prove more valuable than the particular contents...but for this decade the contents are fascinating.

Good Book, but Martel is Wrong.......2003-04-11

The book provided a great deal of information about genetic distances and the relationships between populations. However, Mr. Martel's review includes lies and these lies must be addressed. First of all, the native North Africans were not "very blonde" or "nordic". In fact, the ORIGINAL population was as black as their rock art depictions of themselves (which just so happen to span the Sahara and date back nearly 10000yrs). Many of these Ancient Saharans were, however, completely abosorbed by an incoming of migrants from the Middle East. Perhaps these migrants are the people Mr. Martel is speaking of??? At any rate, with the dessication of the Sahara, most of the original Saharans (blacks) migrated South into The Sudan. In fact, they can still be found in West Africa today. They (especially the Fulani and Dogon) can be recognized in person as easily as they can be recognized in the Ancient Saharan depictions drawn by their ancestors.

Thus, despite Mr. Martel's comments to the contrary, the admixture seen in North Africans today is not so much the result of slaves (modern admixture) as it is the result of both modern admixture as well as ancient admixture - admixture which took place LONG before the Arabs ventured anywhere near the region. As for the Egyptians, they were from the same stock as the rest of North Africa and they almost always depicted themselves as brown and intermediate between and separate from both the white people of the North (Europe), the light skinned Semites (Middle East), and the darker, more Sudanese people of the South (Nubia).

Book Description

This full-color text explores the United States and Canada with a fresh, logical approach. The authors examine the regions of the United States and Canada using a thematic approach, via such topics as agriculture, industry, and population. This topical framework provides an insightful perspective for students to learn the similarities and differences that characterize the regions of these countries. Chapter 1, "Introduction," provides basic geographic background and places the United States and Canada in a global perspective. Then coverage of both countries is incorporated into each topical chapter, concluding with a separate chapter (14), "The Canadian Difference," which looks at Canadian-specific issues, such as the English/French language debate.

State and Local Population Projections: Methodology and Analysis (The Springer Series on Demographic Methods and Population Analysis)

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"Population Projections" for those so inclined

State and Local Population Projections: Methodology and Analysis (The Springer Series on Demographic Methods and Population Analysis)
Stanley K. Smith , Jeff Tayman , and David A. Swanson
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 0306464934

Book Description

This book focuses on the methodology and analysis of state and local population projections. It describes the most commonly used data sources and application techniques within each of three classes of projection methods (cohort-component, trend extrapolation, and structural models) and covers the components of population growth, the formation of assumptions, the development of evaluation criteria, and the determinants of forecast accuracy. It considers the strengths and weaknesses of various projection methods, paying special attention to the unique problems of making projections for small areas, and closes with an examination of technological and methodological changes affecting the production of small-area population projections.
The authors provide practical guidance to demographers, planners, and other analysts called on to construct state and local population projections. They use many examples and illustrations and present suggestions for dealing with special populations, unique circumstances, and inadequate or unreliable data; they also describe techniques for controlling one set of projections to another and for interpolating between two projections. They discuss the role of judgment and the importance of the political context in which projections are made. They emphasize the "utility" of projections, or their usefulness for decision making in a world of competing demands and limited resources.
This comprehensive book will provide readers with an understanding not only of the mechanics of commonly used population projection methods, but also of the many complex issues affecting their construction, interpretation, evaluation, and use.

Customer Reviews:

"Population Projections" for those so inclined.......2001-05-18

The new book by Smith, Tayman and Swanson is the first in many years to compile the major components of small-area population projections(data sources, methodology and evaluation) in one place.

The book is particularly good in describing the fundamentals of population analysis - which many other articles, chapters and books on projections neglect. Additionally, important advanced elements of population projections that are not commonly touched on, such as special adjustments, are addressed nicely here.

The book further instructs the reader how to use projections objectively. Too often, forecasts that are not 100% accurate are dismissed. In fact, as the book describes, imperfect forecasts still provide considerable utility in presenting alternatives, promoting agendas, sounding warnings and providing a base for other projections. To this end, the book provides a unique service in not only describing how to make small-area projections, but what to do with them.

In addition to the conventional techniques and concepts described, the authors present the latest developments in the field of projections, including structural models, GIS applications and innovative evaluative techniques.

I would strongly recommend this book as both a textbook - particularly for demography, planning, and economics students, as well as a resource for professional planners, administrators and scientists that rely on population projections.

Migration in World History (Themes in World History)
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Migration in World History (Themes in World History)
Patrick Manning
Manufacturer: Routledge
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Binding: Paperback

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The Age of Migration, Third Edition: International Population Movements in the Modern World

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Global Diasporas: An Introduction (Global Diasporas , No 1)

ASIN: 0415311470

Book Description

From the spread of the earliest hominids onwards, migration has been a major factor in human development. This fascinating study traces the connections among regions brought about by the movements of people, diseases, crops, technology and ideas.

Drawing on examples from a wide range of geographical regions and thematic areas, Manning presents a graceful and dramatic narrative, including:
· earliest human migrations, including the earliest hominids, their development and spread, and the controversy surrounding the rise of homo sapiens
· the first domestication of major plants and animals
· the rise and spread of major language groups such as Indo-European, Afro-Asiatic, Niger-Congo, Austronesian/Austroasiatic, Sino-Tibetan, Ural-Altaic, and Amerindian
· examination of civilizations, farmers and pastoralists from 3000 BCE to 500 CE, highlighting such groups as Greeks, Phoenicians, Xiongnu, Huns and Scythians
· trade patterns including the early Silk Road and maritime trade in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean
· use of horses and boats, with focus on migratory groups such as Germans, Vikings, Turks, Arabs, Mongols, Arawaks and Caribs, Nilotes, Polynesians and Bantu
· the increasing impact of maritime and overland migrations on areas of life such as religion and family between 1400-1700
· the effect of migration on empire and industry between 1700-1900
the resurgence of migration in the later twentieth century, including movement to cities, refugees and diasporas

Individual-based Modeling and Ecology (Princeton Series in Theoretical and Computational Biology)

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Thorough

Individual-based Modeling and Ecology (Princeton Series in Theoretical and Computational Biology)
Volker Grimm , and Steven F. Railsback
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
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Binding: Paperback

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Self-Organization in Complex Ecosystems. (MPB-42) (Monographs in Population Biology)
Complex Adaptive Systems: An Introduction to Computational Models of Social Life (Princeton Studies in Complexity)
The Theoretical Biologist's Toolbox: Quantitative Methods for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
The Structure and Dynamics of Networks: (Princeton Studies in Complexity)
Dynamic Models in Biology

ASIN: 069109666X

Book Description

Individual-based models are an exciting and widely used new tool for ecology. These computational models allow scientists to explore the mechanisms through which population and ecosystem ecology arises from how individuals interact with each other and their environment. This book provides the first in-depth treatment of individual-based modeling and its use to develop theoretical understanding of how ecological systems work, an approach the authors call "individual-based ecology."

Grimm and Railsback start with a general primer on modeling: how to design models that are as simple as possible while still allowing specific problems to be solved, and how to move efficiently through a cycle of pattern-oriented model design, implementation, and analysis. Next, they address the problems of theory and conceptual framework for individual-based ecology: What is "theory"? That is, how do we develop reusable models of how system dynamics arise from characteristics of individuals? What conceptual framework do we use when the classical differential equation framework no longer applies? An extensive review illustrates the ecological problems that have been addressed with individual-based models. The authors then identify how the mechanics of building and using individual-based models differ from those of traditional science, and provide guidance on formulating, programming, and analyzing models. This book will be helpful to ecologists interested in modeling, and to other scientists interested in agent-based modeling.

Customer Reviews:

Thorough.......2007-09-10

I haven't finished the book, but so far it's been very thorough on the subject and has given me lots of ideas for how to proceed on the project I'm working on. Would definitely recommend it.

Maybe One: A Personal and Environmental Argument for Single Child Families

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Only children turn out normal
Argument Based on Fallacy
Do the math....
Earth issues and broader thoughts on the only child
Go forth and multiply???

Maybe One: A Personal and Environmental Argument for Single Child Families
Bill McKibben
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ASIN: 0684852810

Amazon.com

Here's the bottom line according to Bill McKibben: the earth will not be able to sustain its ever increasing population indefinitely. But the population problem is not just a phenomenon of developing nations--the United States is a major environmental threat, gobbling up a huge piece of the resources pie as our numbers grow larger every year. To avoid worldwide catastrophe, McKibben believes that the United States must reduce its birthrate.

Maybe One is more about the concept of having only one child per family, than a sanctimonious sermon on the perils producing more than that lone baby will have on the world. Understandably the implications of overpopulation for the planet's resources isn't something the average American cries into his Cheerios about every morning, but Maybe One argues that we must start thinking about family size and stop thinking of population as an "abstract issue" that has no bearing on our lives. McKibben produces compelling if not controversial arguments for curbing the U.S. population explosion, a population which he believes could grow by at least 50 percent by the year 2050 to possibly 400 million people. That's a lot of mouths to feed, fuel to burn, and waste to dispose! McKibben's arguments are a mixture of the highly personal (he speaks in great detail of his decision to have a vasectomy) to the highly global (McKibben cites scary statistics about the greenhouse effect, species extinction, soil erosion, and food shortages). He is particularly passionate about "only children" and that it really is okay to have just one child, arguing that only children are often more intelligent and confident than their multiple-sibling friends.

Like in The End of Nature an earlier McKibben book concerned with man's catastrophic contribution to the greenhouse effect, McKibben urges us in Maybe One to really think about our relationship with the earth. He writes, "No decision any of us makes will have more effect on the world (and on our lives) than whether to bear another child." Prophetic words, but words many parents will find difficult by which to abide. --Naomi Gesinger

Book Description

In Maybe One, Bill McKibben argues that the earth is becoming dangerously overcrowded, and that if more of us chose to have only one child, it would make a crucial difference toward insuring a healthy future for ourselves and our planet.

But the environment alone may not persuade most people to consider having just one child, as eighty percent of Americans have siblings. Powerful stereotypes about only children--that they're spoiled, selfish, or maladjusted in some way--still persist. McKibben, the proud father of an only child himself, debunks these myths, citing research about the many emotional and intellectual strengths only children possess. Contrary to the old folk wisdom, only children are very much like everyone else; they are no more likely to be lonely, shy, or difficult to get along with than children with siblings. Only children also receive the benefits of more parental resources and time that are denied to kids with siblings: higher test scores and levels of achievement in school, and greater development of positive personality traits, like maturity and self-control.

At once a powerful personal argument and an accessible exploration of what overpopulation could mean to human life, Maybe One is a provocative yet well-reasoned opening to what will be an important and lasting debate.

"Eloquent...Wonderfully illuminating." --Publishers Weekly (starred)

"An absorbing, important environmental book, likely to stimulate long overdue discussion for its frank grappling with one of our most intimate taboos." --San Francisco Chronicle

Customer Reviews:

Only children turn out normal.......2005-11-05

I am grateful to Bill McKibben for making it clear that I don't have to worry about my son being harmed by being an only child. McKibben makes a good case for smaller families. I am frequently puzzled by the peculiar blindness to this issue in the media. When a family with five or ten children complains that they can't afford the necessities of American life, you don't have to look far for a reason, yet this gets constantly overlooked. I have known far too many people who want to leave the number of their children in God's hands. In my opinion, God helps those who help themselves.

McKibben supports maintaining immigration into the U.S. at a somewhat reduced level. I think he does not go far enough here. I think legal immigration should be limited to no more than a few thousand persons a year. Stopping illegal immigration should become a national priority. If that sounds selfish and intolerant to you, please consider that ALL our lives depend on healthy ecosystems. Those ecosystems simply can't withstand a continually increasing population.

Argument Based on Fallacy.......2003-02-09

Why did I have to even give it one star? The problem that someone should point out is that McKibben's book has as its core basis a fallacious argument. The United States, like every other developed nation is not growing because of the rate of reproduction of its population but because of immigration. If he had chosen to focus on a way to slow population growth and improve economies in the developing nations and thereby probably reduce the rate of immigration his argument would be stronger but since he didn't it doesn't matter what he says because once the core reason for his book is proven wrong, why should we believe any other argument he wishes to make?

Do the math...........2002-10-05

The idea presented in this book has to be the worst proposal ever to come out of the over-population myth. First of all if every family had only one child, the human race would eventually die out. (Example: 500 people make 250 couples, if each one had only 1 child, then the next generation would have only 250 children, making it possible to have only 125 couples.)

One point of contradiction is that the author professes his belief in Jesus Christ, but denies the first commandment given to man (multiply and replenish the earth).

The solution to all of the problems cited by over-population rumourists isn't population control, its better resource management.

Earth issues and broader thoughts on the only child.......2001-06-21

Bill McKibben has written a book that is not only much needed but a wake up call to those who care about the entire earth environment and what effect multi-child families have.

As the mother of one child, a son who is now raised and responsible and happy I am always looking for books that dispel the myths about only children being selfish, spoiled, maladjusted loners (the authors words). The author doesn't just talk theory. And he walks his talk, in sharing the personal choice and experience of having a vasectomy.

His work is thorough in showing how misplaced and out of context religious admonishments to go forth and multiply are. How we no longer need large families to work the farms much less the nine month school year. That we as a society need to rethink what children should be to society at large and get over the whole lug headed logic that as women we are not complete unless we reproduce and do so more than once. Or that real men are only the ones who create an heir, and usually a male one at that.

I also appreciated immensely his challenging people to stop seeing a child as a hobby and start looking at the child as an individual with rights and that an only child that is reared with a mindset of personal responsibility is the best future citizen. And the fact is as his work shows, is this. Todays family with more than one child is the very family who succumbs to guilt buying. Over consuming and children with poor health i.e.obesity and altruistic thought that is not embraced but if taught is done so out of guilt feelings.

the book is split into four sections. Part One: Family Part Two: Species Part Three: Nation Part Four: Self. And am so grateful the author has noted the works of Granville Stanley Hall who was born in 1844 and would go on to John Hopkins and do some earthshaking research as well as create the first research university in psychology.

Go forth and multiply???.......2001-06-04

This is a fine book that gives a measured, objective (as much as possible) analysis on the decision of whether to add another human being to the surface of the earth. I'm constantly amazed how often population is neglected entirely (or casually brushed off) when discussing policies from urban sprawl to species loss to global warming. Of course population isn't the only factor (wealth and lifestyle are obviously key as well), but who can seriously question that our environmental impact on the earth would be more manageable if we had fewer people? Think about your average day....waking up and showering, eating breakfast, driving to work, etc. Go out and surf the Internet and start calculating your individual environmental impact (there are a host of useful sites out there). The coal burned to light your house, your office and all of the places you visit during the day. The metals, woods and plastics harvested, processed, stored and shipped to build your home, the appliances within it, your automobile, your consumer electronics, books, dishes and your clothes. The water, herbicides and fuel used to produce the food you consume. And don't forget waste. Start adding up your sewer impact, the amount of garbage you generate week after week, month after month. And don't forget the garbage you contribute to at work, the park and the restaurant. And so on.... The final toll is staggering. Simply in terms of home electricity use, for example, the average American household will easily burn more than 300 pounds of coal and generate more than 600 pounds of atmospheric CO2 per month. Then start multiplying these numbers by 280 million (Americans), and (although using different and lower multipliers) 6 billion+ human beings.

The inescapable truth glaring through this sort of calculation is that unless you manage a SuperFund site, you are not likely to make a more environmentally important decision in your life than whether to add another human being to the earth (and if so, how many). Perhaps McKibben's book will help reduce the ridiculous spectacles I see where a bountiful family of multiple children scamper from a monstrous SUV (with Earth Day bumper sticker) at a recycle site, offering some newspapers and crushed cans and then hulking home (after gassing up, of course), beaming and self-congratulatory at what they are doing for the earth compared to their wasteful brethren in, say, India. You can reuse and recycle to your little heart's content and not come close to having a fraction of the environmental impact of not having had one of those children-particularly American children.

Book Description

Principles of Population Genetics, Third Edition, provides a balanced presentation of theory and observation for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In response to suggestions from students and instructors, the book has been trimmed more than 100 pages and rewritten with the goal to optimize its use as a teaching aid. It introduces the principles of genetics and statistics that are relevant to population studies, and examines the forces affecting genetic variation from the molecular to the organismic level. Integrated throughout the book are descriptions of molecular methods used to study variation in natural populations, as well as explanations of the relevant estimation theory using actual data. Chapter 1 presents the fundamental genetic and statistical concepts in population genetics. Chapter 2 reviews the types and prevalence of genetic variation in natural populations. This is followed in Chapter 3 by a detailed examination of the implications of random mating for one locus and multiple loci. Chapter 4 examines population subdivision and its consequences for the distribution of genetic variation among subpopulations, including the hierarchical F statistics used in estimating these effects. Chapters 5 through 7 deal with mutation, migration, natural selection in all its varieties, and the consequences of random genetic drift. Molecular population genetics, including coalescent theory, is the subject of Chapter 8. Quantitative genetics is covered in Chapter 9, from the standpoint of genetic variance and covariance components as well as with respect to molecular markers used to detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Applications of principles discussed in the text are illustrated by numerous examples of worked problems, using actual data. Each chapter end, in addition to a complete summary, offers several problems for solution, to reinforce and further develop the concepts.

Customer Reviews:

Principles of Population Genetics.......2007-01-28

It is a classical text, but it lack of a chapter on Conservation Genetics

Check covers.......2005-09-22

Comparing this book with others purchased before this is in a very bad condition. I have to fix the cover.

A must-own........1998-02-06

A new revision of a work I already thought perfect. Adds population genetic approaches using new molecular techniques. Superb.

Population Ecotoxicology (Hierarchical Exotoxicology Mini Series)

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Population Ecotoxicology (Hierarchical Exotoxicology Mini Series)
Michael C. Newman
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471988189

Book Description

This essential text for ecotoxicologists, environmental consultants and environmental scientists, explores the science of contaminants in the biosphere and toxicant effects on populations. Topics covered include:

The population context for ecotoxicology
Epidemiology of noninfectious disease in populations
Population dynamics and demography
Translating individual effects to population effects using energy allocation theory and phenotypic plasticity
Toxicant-related natural selection

The effect of toxicants on the genetic qualities of populations

Book Description

The threat of unstoppable plagues, such as AIDS and Ebola, is always with us. In Europe, the most devastating plagues were those from the Black Death pandemic in the 1300s to the Great Plague of London in 1665. For the past 100 years it has been accepted that Yersinia pestis, the infective agent of bubonic plague, was responsible for these epidemics. This book combines modern concepts of epidemiology and molecular biology with computer-modeling. Applying these concepts to the analysis of historical epidemics, the authors show that they were not, in fact, outbreaks of bubonic plague. Biology of Plagues offers a completely new interdisciplinary interpretation of the plagues of Europe, and establishes them within a geographical, historical, and demographic framework. This fascinating detective work will be of interest to readers in the social and biological sciences, and lessons learned will underline the implications of historical plagues for modern-day epidemiology.

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