Shortlisted for the 2015 Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science.
[Harris] has written an excellent analysis of modern human evolution from a molecular evolution perspective. [...] This is the best book I've ever read on the subject of random genetic drift. * Larry Moran, Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto *
Simply indispensable for any reader wishing to learn about the latest research on human origins. -Library Journal, starred review
The book is technical, thus challenging for the general reader, but is written well enough to make the effort worthwhile. * Publisher's Weekly *
Ancestors in Our Genome tells the amazing story of human evolution as it has been revealed by the study of our DNA. Eugene Harris, a rare anthropologist who has studied the differences in the DNA of humans and other primates, has written a superb book about the latest discoveries comparing the DNA genomes of apes and humans-both living and fossilized . . . An enjoyable and wonderfully enlightening read. * Jody Hey, Professor and Director, Center for Computational Genomics and Genetics, Temple University and author of Genes, Categories, and Species *
In a lucid and engaging style, Eugene Harris delivers a clear account of the latest insights in genomic studies that are giving humans a more comprehensive understanding of our evolutionary history, our place in nature, and where we may be headed. * Donald Johanson, Virginia M. Ullman Chair in Human Origins and Founding Director of the Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University *
It is a daunting and confusing task to make sense of the avalanche of genetic information that has recently become available. Fortunately, Harris's book is a concise and engaging explanation of what we have learned about human evolution from studying genomes. Harris clearly explains without jargon the basics of genetics and genomics, how and when humans evolved, and what about our genes make us different from our closest living and extinct relatives. * Daniel Lieberman, Chair, Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University and author of The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease *
In the 'Age of Genomics,' this book is an absolute must-have for anyone interested in human evolution. In the most accessible manner, Eugene E. Harris enlightens how and why genomes represent such powerful evidence to understand our past. If you want to know why paleontologists and geneticists fight over evolutionary trees, whether chimpanzees and primitive hominins interbred after they split, how large the first human population was, or how in modern humans bad genes could become good genes, open Ancestors in Our Genome. * Jean-Jacques Hublin, Director, Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology *
Written in a very clear and easy to follow style, Ancestors in Our Genome is notable for its inclusion of really up-to-date research. For the uninitiated, it's a great guide to the whole subject area. If you already have some knowledge, it delivers important insights on the latest findings. * Evan Hadingham, Senior Science Editor at NOVA WGBH *
Eugene Harris' Ancestors in Our Genome is an extremely clear and readable introduction to the studies of genetics and genomics that are advancing our understanding of our evolutionary history. He describes, in clear prose, both the most recent discoveries in primate phylogeny and human evolution and the methods underlying them. Most significantly, he emphasizes how studies of population genetics and genomic sequencing interact in interpretations of primate and human genetic evolution. * John G. Fleagle, Evolutionary Anthropology *
Ancestors in Our Genome provides a good basic view of modern human evolutionary biology. Recommended. * Choice *
One of the book's laudable features is its accuracy. Errors are common in popular science books, but not this one. Harris cites some of the most pertinent research on the molecular foundations of human evolution, and he is invariably true to the original research. ... Though the effort to read this book may be considerable for those not familiar with genomic science, it is well worth it. Readers will come away from it with a powerful and up-to-date understanding of human evolution and of evolution in general. * Reports of the National Center for Science Education *
...readers looking for an up-to-date, clearly written, and well-illustrated tour through the dynamics of human evolution will find no better guide than this compelling volume. * Bioscience *
...a good overview of the state of the science regarding the genomics of human evolution. * The Scientist *
All in all, the book shines when it discuses the recent technological advances in DNA sequencing, which allows readers a never-before-seen view into our genetic history. ...if you are interested in learning about the most recent findings in population genetics and human origins, then this book is a great start. * The Daily of the University of Washington *
Harris gives us glimpses of the science behind these amazing discoveries of our ancestors. He explains the basics for non-biologists before diving deep into human genomics and population genetics. He unobtrusively notes his involvement in the work. The writing is always clean and light in spite of the tough concepts and jargon. The result is an incredible story of what genes and genomes can tell us about our distant past and our current condition. * The Key Reporter *
[A]ccessible, informative, and entertaining. ... Ancestors in Our Genome is impressively thorough and current and will be a great resource to anyone interested in understanding how population genomic theory has been used to test fundamental hypotheses concerning the origins of our species. * American Journal of Human Biology *
[O]n the whole this is a substantive, engaging, and worthwhile introduction to molecular anthropology for educated nonexperts. * Quarterly Review of Biology *
