Who We Are and How We Got Here
Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past
by David Reich
3 more
More Recommenders
Author, essayist, mathematical statistician, and risk analyst
“Interesting books on culture and society I've read recently. I don't necessarily agree with any of them, but they're all useful and informative. > | This is a monument, not just a book. And the beginning of a new cultural program. On a scale of 0 to 100, paternity tests count as 99.99 and written/oral history should count for .01. Apply that to populations. That?s plain statistics/probability. We are seeing science in action: information theory displaces BS, the handwaving just so stories we got from historians. | This is a monument, not just a book. And the beginning of a new cultural program. On a scale of 0 to 100, paternity tests count as 99.99 and written/oral history should count for .01. Apply that to populations. That’s plain statistics/probability. We are seeing science in action: information theory displaces BS, the handwaving just so stories we got from historians.”
Source →“Interesting books on culture and society I've read recently. I don't necessarily agree with any of them, but they're all useful and informative. > | This is a monument, not just a book. And the beginning of a new cultural program. On a scale of 0 to 100, paternity tests count as 99.99 and written/oral history should count for .01. Apply that to populations. That?s plain statistics/probability. We are seeing science in action: information theory displaces BS, the handwaving just so stories we got from historians. | This is a monument, not just a book. And the beginning of a new cultural program. On a scale of 0 to 100, paternity tests count as 99.99 and written/oral history should count for .01. Apply that to populations. That’s plain statistics/probability. We are seeing science in action: information theory displaces BS, the handwaving just so stories we got from historians.”
Source →“Interesting books on culture and society I've read recently. I don't necessarily agree with any of them, but they're all useful and informative. > | This is a monument, not just a book. And the beginning of a new cultural program. On a scale of 0 to 100, paternity tests count as 99.99 and written/oral history should count for .01. Apply that to populations. That?s plain statistics/probability. We are seeing science in action: information theory displaces BS, the handwaving just so stories we got from historians. | This is a monument, not just a book. And the beginning of a new cultural program. On a scale of 0 to 100, paternity tests count as 99.99 and written/oral history should count for .01. Apply that to populations. That’s plain statistics/probability. We are seeing science in action: information theory displaces BS, the handwaving just so stories we got from historians.”
Source →Recommended by 5 notable people, including Naval Ravikant and Marc Andreessen
Check price on AmazonProof-backed recommendation
Amazon availability
Should I read this?
Recommended by 10 sources and appears in Books Recommended by Naval Ravikant, Most Recommended Books, and Science.
A groundbreaking book about how technological advances in genomics and the extraction of ancient DNA have profoundly changed our understanding of human prehistory while resolving many longstanding controversies.Massive technological innovations now allow scientists to extract and analyze ancient DNA as never before, and it has become clearin par...
Looking for Kindle, hardcover, paperback, or audiobook editions?
Check formats, pricing, and current availability directly.
Why recommended
Recommended by 10 sources and appears in Books Recommended by Naval Ravikant, Most Recommended Books, and Science.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Author, essayist, mathematical statistician, and risk analyst
“Interesting books on culture and society I've read recently. I don't necessarily agree with any of them, but they're all useful and informative. > | This is a monument, not just a book. And the beginning of a new cultural program. On a scale of 0 to 100, paternity tests count as 99.99 and written/oral history should count for .01. Apply that to populations. That?s plain statistics/probability. We are seeing science in action: information theory displaces BS, the handwaving just so stories we got from historians. | This is a monument, not just a book. And the beginning of a new cultural program. On a scale of 0 to 100, paternity tests count as 99.99 and written/oral history should count for .01. Apply that to populations. That’s plain statistics/probability. We are seeing science in action: information theory displaces BS, the handwaving just so stories we got from historians.”
View sources (2) ▾80%
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins. Recommended by 12 sources.
“Reading feels brisk and combative: clear metaphors and thought experiments carry much of the book, making abstract evolutionary mechanics concrete for a general reader. The most useful material offers step-by-step dismantling of purposive explanations and replaces them with probabilistic accounts of variation and selection. Main limitation is tone and repetition—several chapters restate the same counterarguments at length—and occasional technical detours into probability and genetics that slow readers who prefer story over demonstration. No hands-on exercises.”
Similar books
A Crack In Creation
Jennifer A. DoudnaThe Blind Watchmaker
Richard Dawkins
The Code Breaker
Walter Isaacson
The Evolution of Everything
Matt Ridley
The Extended Phenotype
Richard Dawkins
The 10,000 Year Explosion
Gregory Cochran
River Out of Eden
Richard Dawkins
Gene Machine
Venki RamakrishnanHow recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
Who We Are and How We Got Here
View on Amazon →