This title is not currently available for purchase

Share <Embed>

A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes by [Rutherford, Adam]

A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes Kindle Edition

by Adam Rutherford (Author), Siddhartha Mukherjee (Foreword)

169 customer reviews

in Genealogy

See all 4 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$17.64

$17.48

$12.00

Paperback

"Please retry"

$12.88

$12.28

$10.00

Audio CD, Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$24.19

$22.34

—

National Book Critics Circle Award—2017 Nonfiction Finalist

“Nothing less than a tour de force—a heady amalgam of science, history, a little bit of anthropology and plenty of nuanced, captivating storytelling.”—The New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice

A National Geographic Best Book of 2017

In our unique genomes, every one of us carries the story of our species—births, deaths, disease, war, famine, migration, and a lot of sex. But those stories have always been locked away—until now. Who are our ancestors? Where did they come from? Geneticists have suddenly become historians, and the hard evidence in our DNA has blown the lid off what we thought we knew. Acclaimed science writer Adam Rutherford explains exactly how genomics is completely rewriting the human story—from 100,000 years ago to the present.

Kindle Feature Spotlight

Length: 420 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Robert P. Crease

38

Kindle Edition
$2.99
Dean Buonomano

25

in Physics of Time
Kindle Edition
$9.99
Sendhil Mullainathan

206

Kindle Edition
$9.99
Guy Claxton

20

Kindle Edition
$1.99
Colin Tudge

41

in Natural Resources
Kindle Edition
$1.99
Gordon Marino

26

in Existentialism
Kindle Edition
$1.99

From the Publisher

A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes

File Size: 2368 KB
Print Length: 420 pages
Publisher: The Experiment; Reprint edition (September 25, 2017)
Publication Date: September 25, 2017
Language: English
ASIN: B06XP9Z5TS
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray:

Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,192 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #1 in Books > Reference > Genealogy
- #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Medical eBooks > Basic Science > Anatomy
- #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Science > Genetics

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?

Be the first video

Your name here

Customer reviews

Write a customer review

See all 169 customer reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

wizard_chef

A fascinating look at the far-ranging impact of the Human Genome Project

December 22, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

While many of the points in negative reviews of this book are well taken, I found the author's approach to the subject to be fascinating. I find the book poorly titled, as it covers much more ground than just the history of our species. The author rightly debunks much of the popular media hype about the impact of genomics in medicine and genealogy, yet he reveals many lesser known and fascinating applications of modern genomics in fields such as human ancestry, revisiting the nature vs nurture question, the geographical migration of Homo sapiens, and their interbreeding with other hominids along the way. Who knew that gene sequencing could tell us much more about human dispersion than archeology? The book becomes a bit Brit-centric in some places (but after all the author is from Great Britain) and some of the chapters could do with some editing, but overall I found this book to be surprising in its broad content and the many interesting revelations of the impact of genomics on what we are finding out about ourselves now, as well as what will be forthcoming in the future.

47 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Some Undergraduate

A good read for anyone who ever lived with a high-school or early college understanding of genetics.

December 14, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Whether or not it is a genuinely fun or captivating book, A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived demystifies many of the popular misconceptions surrounding the genetics and natural history of humans, and is a good read for anyone wanting to understand the limitations of using DNA to describe who we are and how we came to be. A recurring theme of the book is the tendency of parties to communicate oversimplified or sensational interpretations of genetic research for the purposes of selling newspapers, personalized genetic tests, or even as part of an elaborate legal defense. Rutherford picks apart the often weak scientific evidence supporting such claims, and in doing so provides much of the background and strategy one would need to critically examine a purported ‘scientific breakthrough’ resulting from genetic research. There are also some fun parts sprinkled in about genetics as it relates to human history and prehistory, but readers looking for a lot of, or a highly detailed description of this information will probably be disappointed.

38 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Errol C. Friedberg

Outstanding Treatise on Genes and Genetics

October 20, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A phenomenally well-written and informative book about genes and genetics that may be a tough read for those with no genetics/genomics background. But if you're interested in the topic give it a try!

36 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Ben S. Trotter

Received for Christmas, an instant favorite. One of the most interesting books I've ever read.

January 15, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

My name is Chloe, Ben is my father, and he bought me this book for Christmas. I've always been interested in genetics and heritage. In fact, my mother bought me an Ancestry DNA kit for Christmas, fitting for this theme. In college I have studied anthropology, archaeology, and biology, so I already have some background about what this book is about, but there was so, so much more for me to learn. From the beginning of the book I was enthralled. It is interesting - to say the least- as well as well written, entertaining, informative, and so incredibly funny. I can not stress how refreshing it is to read a history/science book that is funny. So often academic books are stuffy and boring, but this one is probably my favorite. Rutherford feels like someone you know. He shares his life and his experiences about his family in such a way so you don't feel like "okay, this guy is talking about himself too much," but in a way that feels so relatable. If you like anthropology or biology or are just curious to read about a little bit of history, read this book. Absolutely wonderful read, have already recommended it to multiple other people.

22 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Anne Mills

A Clearly Written Book on a Very Complex Subject

December 28, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This book traces the history of homo sapiens through our DNA. It is mostly about genetics and genomics, and is addressed to the lay reader. This doesn't make it an easy read, but I found it a worthwhile one. The key point that it brought home to me was just how complicated human genetics really are. The idea of a "cancer gene" or an "intelligence gene" vastly oversimplifies; Rutherford makes it clear that many, many different genes affect most traits (including susceptibility to most diseases) rather than the simple one-to-one equivalence that a lot of popular writing implies. I found it an informative and accessible read about a complex subject.

19 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Steve G

A great, entertaining look at humanity through genetics

October 4, 2017

Format: Kindle Edition

I loved this book. It is the second by Adam Rutherford that I've read and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first, Creation. Rutherford writes in plain language and although it is a science book, it reads more like a novel. It is a meandering but fascinating look at human history through DNA, but in jargon-free language. What I like best about the book are: the message that we are all interconnected; Rutherford's great use of the alphabet as an analog for genes and DNA; and Rutherford’s great sense of humor. His description of a medical symposium is as funny as anything I've read. I have read a few history of humanity books lately and not many can match Rutherford’s. One that is a match is “Built on Bones” by Brenna Hassett but both of these books are far superior to Peter Ungar’s Evolution’s Bite. I strongly recommend Rutherford’s book for anyone interested in science.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

104 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

K. J. Christopoulos

A good place to learn what DNA does and does not tell us about human history.

December 18, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Enjoyed reading the author's perspective on race and genetics as it relates to human development and history. Genetics and DNA are not my field, but the author does a good job of explaining the ability to use DNA and genetics to unlock some puzzles. He also explains why much of what is advertised by genealogy companies who make claims with DNA tests are really over-stating their abilities to tell you your history. The main story of how DNA gives us clues about the migration of humans at the beginning of our species is the real point of the book. I won't spoil it, but it is enough to say I was really surprised at how different the DNA story is from the popular concept. This book is not a science primer on DNA but includes enough to explain what we can know and what we can't by using DNA and genetics to establish the story of where humans came from and how we migrated.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes

Set up a giveaway

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.