Helpful Score: 2
Excellent viewpoint backed by scientific discovery.
really good.
Good book, especially at the beginning. The author writes with a certainty that belies his background in public media. I get the impression he has pissed off a lot of his fellow scientists. Egads, the information in this book is over a decade old.
I am having a tough time with the premise of this book. If the reader accepts the premise, then maybe you can absorb his constructs. I have had a very hard time even just getting thru the premises. Maybe I am reading it all wrong, but I cannot buy his conclusions.
Very interesting information about European DNA.
I really enjoyed this book. I'm a genealogist so I'm excited and fascinated by the new developments in DNA research and how it might help link people with common ancestors. Even just watching shows on TV like CSI makes one interested in forensics and DNA.
In this book, the author describes his research in genetics with mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down from mother to children. The book also includes a touch of history and archaelogy.
The actual examples of cases where DNA proved or disproved the identity of people was interesting, like when they proved a group of bodies they found were the Tsar and his family that were killed, but they proved that the lady claiming to be Anastasia was really NOT one of the missing daughters. I highly recommend this book.
In this book, the author describes his research in genetics with mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down from mother to children. The book also includes a touch of history and archaelogy.
The actual examples of cases where DNA proved or disproved the identity of people was interesting, like when they proved a group of bodies they found were the Tsar and his family that were killed, but they proved that the lady claiming to be Anastasia was really NOT one of the missing daughters. I highly recommend this book.
This book is much broader in scope than I had expected. The whole contentious debate over the reliability of mitochondrial DNA typing is here, as well as several very interesting historical accounts, including the discovery of the Iceman (frozen in the alps for several centuries) and the story of the recovery and identification of the remains of the Romanovs. Of course, the process of identifying the seven maternal ancestors of most European is here. Bryan Sykes demonstrates that he is also quite able as a historical fiction writer, as he invents the unknowable details of the lives of each of the seven based on the archeological evidence collected from the regions suggested by the genetic confluence. Overall, a well written and easily accessible book.
Gripping!!!
