The Journey of Man Quotes

“As often happens in science, technology has opened up a field to new ways of solving old riddles – often providing startling answers.”
― Spencer Wells, The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey

“If we imagine the genetic relationships among modern mitochondrial diversity as an actual tree – say a large oak – then the root and trunk, and the branches that are closest to the ground, are all found in Africans. These branches sprouted first, as the tree was growing, and they are therefore the oldest.”
― Spencer Wells, The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey

“if a nuclear war were to happen, and only the Kikuyu of Kenya (or the Tamils, or the Balinese …) survived, then that group would still have 85 per cent of the genetic variation found in the species as a whole. A strong argument indeed against ‘scientific’ theories of racism – and clear support for Darwin’s assessment of human diversity in the 1830s.”
― Spencer Wells, The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey

“This gives us another clue as to why the Neanderthals were replaced: old people are good to have around.”
― Spencer Wells, The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey

“little tougher for a complex past-tense construction in German, where the active verb in the sentence only shows up at the end!”
― Spencer Wells, The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey