book data
342 ratings, 3.96 average rating, 73 reviews
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published
May 2002
by W. W. Norton & Company
binding
Paperback, 306 pages
isbn
0393323145
(isbn13: 9780393323146)
description
The national bestseller that reveals how we are descended from seven prehistoric women. One of the most dramatic stories of genetic discovery since Ja...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 520)
For all the geeky geneticists out there, a fascinating look into our history through our mitochondrial chromosomes. Sykes uses modern molecular technology to bring the history of the human race to life in a surprisingly vibrant tale of theory and discovery.
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Read in October, 2007
My book club read this one, but I didn't finish it. The first half was fascinating, but then the author tried too hard, by creating fictional personalities for each of the seven daughters. Still, worth it for the first half.
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Read in April, 2008
Very interesting book on genetics. Sounds boring, but has some really interesting stories.
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Read in November, 2008
recommended to Lindsay by:
Dr. Suzanne Kemmerrecommends it for: Non-biologists who are interested in genetics
I was supposed to read this for my Evolution of Language linguistics class my senior year of college, but because I was very distracted that semester, I didn't actually do any reading for my classes. Anyway, I found this the other day while looking for something else and decided to finally read it, as I did go to the classes where it was discussed and it seemed interesting. The first half was really fascinating, a good reminder of a lot of the science I was vaguely familiar with interspersed w...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
those curious about our past and our present
Sykes traces the history of most Europeans back to 7 women through an examination of mitochondrial DNA. I love the science behind this book. An examination of the DNA shows how very related most people are. Would love to see this done for places like India where caste differences make people treat each other badly. Wouldn't it also be cool to take it even further and relate the Europeans back to say the Africans and show how related blacks and whites might be. Sykes shows how he may be rela...more
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Read in January, 2006
The first half of this book gives an excellent and detailed description of Bryan Sykes’ thrilling investigative journey whereby he uncovers findings and develops his theory regarding mitochondrial DNA, DNA that is passed down from mother to child that, according to Sykes, can give us a record back through our mothers due to measurable degrees of mutation.
While reading this book, keep in mind that, according to the author himself, the fictitious representations of the "Seven Daughter...more
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Read in October, 2008
This was a great, easy read. It goes through a lot of basic anthropology and genetics that is standard in anthro classes, but it was a great way to set up the rest of the book for those who haven't had that introduction. I was a bit disappointed to find out that the "seven daughters" are only ancestors of Europeans. I would be very excited to read about more research done to find the origins of people on other continents, though this book briefly discusses it. I found the stories a...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Grandma by:
Amelia Parry
The author is a noted professor of genetics. In 1994 he was called in as an expert to examine the frozen remains of a man trapped in glacial ice in northen Italy for over 5000 years--the Ice Man. It was found that DNA could still be taken from this man.
The book tells how Sykes went to many countries of the world collecting DNA to see how they differed from one another and often how they were the same.
I thought it was interesting to read about all of his experiences as he traveled and me...more
The book tells how Sykes went to many countries of the world collecting DNA to see how they differed from one another and often how they were the same.
I thought it was interesting to read about all of his experiences as he traveled and me...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
budding geneticists
Fascinating book on where we probably all come from, using the magic of mitochondrial DNA. We all inherit that from our mothers only, so if you can track the similarities in this, we can trace our maternal line back through the generations.
This book is pretty mindblowing, I mean, Eve really seems to have been an african woman 150,000 years ago, and we all seem to be descended from her!
Ha - Eve's a black African. Love it.
The book lucidly and excitedly takes one through the journey of ...more
This book is pretty mindblowing, I mean, Eve really seems to have been an african woman 150,000 years ago, and we all seem to be descended from her!
Ha - Eve's a black African. Love it.
The book lucidly and excitedly takes one through the journey of ...more
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Read in August, 2007
Quick and excellent read. It was so good I could't put it down. Discusses aspects of molecular biology in a way that is understandable to anyone. I feel differently now about my heritage and evolution in general. Demonstrates how our mitochondrial DNA can be traced back to just a few females. Multiple passages in this book gave me goosebumps and made my heart pound. Sykes did a brilliant job of fusing science and personal experience. He described how chance encounters and freak accidents in his ...more
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This is an excellent book that is an eye-opener. I found it so fascinating to realize that we (well northern Europeans) descend from one of 7 actual women--and they even have names. Brian Sykes explains to the layman all about the science of dna and how it relates to our ancestry. Women pass their mitochondrial dna to their children unchanged and it has been this way for thousands of years. According to Sykes we all came out of Africa at one point in history and there is one woman that is the ...more
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Read in November, 2008
Fascinating popular science on tracing maternal ancestry through the magic of mitochondrial DNA. Lots of fun!
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A very approachable book about the contributions of genetics (and mitochondrial DNA in particular) to the field of human evolution. The style of writing irritated me at points because it seemed like he was trying to infuse the scientific process with artificial drama (feuds between former lab mates, verbal attacks at conferences, theories that came to him as visions in the night...that sort of thing), but in general I really enjoyed this book.
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Very well written book on the study of genetic ancestry...the seven daughters being the seven women who lived between 45,000 and 10,000 years ago and from whom most of the population of Europe is descended. It deals with the science of mitochondrial DNA, academic disputes, and the description of how we came to be who we are biologically. It covers not just Europe; some of the best and early chapters deal with the genetics of Polynesia.
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Read in May, 2008
Thank you, Bryan Sykes, for finding the intersection of mythology, history, and science, and treating these as one body of truth. That happens to be exactly where I am rooting my own life's work. It's nice to find someone out there with similar values, as well as a wealth of research that I would never know about otherwise. Oh - and bravo for making scientific technicalities palatable to those who (I admit) prefer storybooks.
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Read in May, 2008
An earlier book by the author of SAXONS, VIKIKGS, CELTS, which traces all modern Europeans back to seven women. It details the process of how this was done, and it also fleshes out the lives of these ancient women - a supposition of what their lives would have been. This is through Mitochondrial DNA, which a mother passes on to all her children, but which only continues to be passed on through the daughters.
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
people who like science & archaelogy
An easy to read discussion about mitochondrial DNA and how most Europeans are descended from only 7 women...AMAZING!! I read this book really quickly - the author did a great job of explaining genetics to people who don't work in a lab without dumbing it down too much. Great book - now I want to have my mitochondrial DNA tested to see which woman I'm descended from.
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Read in October, 2008
I really enjoyed the first part of the book, especially learning about mitochondrial DNA and how it could provide many answers to an individual's genealogy. The second part, where the author speculated about what the 7 hypothetical mitochondrial mothers of most Europeans were like was not as good. In fact, I quickly skimmed over this part.
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