Those who study the genetic makeup of humanity and look for differences no longer have to be accused of promoting racism. Instead, new research results show how important migration and diversity were and are for human evolution.
As one of the most important minds in his field, the Spanish-French geneticist Lluis Quintana-Murci provides a profound overview of the findings of his science. He proves that today’s population genetics has nothing to do with the ethnology or racial studies of earlier times. In his book, he shows how migration and constant mixing have always helped humanity to cope with the challenges of its environment. The small proportion of Neanderthal DNA in the genome of Homo Sapiens is just one example of this.
Our ancestors had to adapt again and again. Hunters and gatherers eventually became farmers and city dwellers. In the process, not only people’s culture changed, but also their biology. The more diversity a population had to offer, the better it could respond to changes. Genetic researchers find traces of these adaptations and global migrations across the globe in the genetic material from prehistoric finds, but also in the genes of people today.
Even thousands of years ago, the most important challenges facing humanity were climate change and infectious diseases. Malaria, for example, has shaped the genes of tropical inhabitants in particular. Resistance to the deadly pathogens has developed, but with it new health risks and diseases such as sickle cell anemia, which is particularly widespread in Africa.
To explain the latest research results, Quintana-Murci delves deeply into molecular genetic details. Unfortunately, he cannot do this without using technical terms. A clear glossary would have made it easier to get started in the complex world of genes. Nevertheless, the author succeeds in impressively refuting widespread prejudices, not through political correctness or liberal ideology, but with scientific facts. The book proves that diversity is not a buzzword, but a fundamental principle of biological evolution. Michael Lange
Lluis Quintana-Murci
The Great Odyssey
How humanity spread across the earth
CH Beck, 288 pp., € 28,–
ISBN 978-3-406-81429-7