Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza (1922–2018)

This is the second time around that I am reading this work. While the entire subject is a fascinating one, and I came with great expectations that this authoritative scholar of the field would throw light on many often tangled, usually controversial, questions, I cannot say that I am much better informed. Unfortunately, I feel that neither of the two facets - genetics and historical linguistics - have been given enough space. In some places, there seems to be an odd lapse into an almost Lamarckian mode of speech when talking of similarities between genetic and cultural evolution: "Culture resembles the genome in the sense that each one accumulates useful information from generation to generation" (page 176). Of course he is not really suggesting that genomes adapt according to the lived experience, but an unwary reader may fall into this sort of fallacious thinking. As a person from South Asia, I am obviously much taken up with the 'Aryan migration theory' (AMT, if you would like to capitalize), and the copy-book juxtaposition of genetics with ethnicity (racial types) and language(s), and I wish he had explored this case in more detail. One will have to look into more recent works on this subject. Finally, the book comes to a rather abrupt ending, leaving the reader a bit flummoxed about how to sysnthesize all the matter.… (more)

This is a shorter version of their previous book "The History and Geography of Human Genes". Here is my review of that.

Absolutely stunning. The result of over 30 years' work by hundreds of scientists. A must for any historian, anthropologist, linguist or paleontologist. Should be of great interest to any scientist.

The authors have applied sophisticated statistical analysis to the evidence from samples of blood taken from thousands of people around the world. It is amazing how much information is teased out. Huge amounts of computing time were required.

They look at dozens of alleles (minor mutations) which can be traced in populations over space and time. The primary mathematical method is identification of principal components by multivariate analysis. Most interesting is the resulting geographical mappings of gene flow. There are very many of great interest. For example, they show the three major migrations into North America from Beringia. They confirm that the dispersion of farming out of Anatolia 8,000 years ago was from migrations of farmers rather than merely the spread of a farming culture.

The authors freely draw from the fields of anthropoly, paleontology and linguistics (and occasionally written history) to supplement and complement the genetic data.

(The work shows clearly that race is not of genetic significance, never mind what you may possibly read elsewhere due to misunderstanding.)… (more)

Absolutely stunning. The result of over 30 years' work by hundreds of scientists. A must for any historian, anthropologist, linguist or paleontologist. Should be of great interest to any scientist.

The authors have applied sophisticated statistical analysis to the evidence from samples of blood taken from thousands of people around the world. It is amazing how much information is teased out. Huge amounts of computing time were required.

They look at dozens of alleles (minor mutations) which can be traced in populations over space and time. The primary mathematical method is identification of principal components by multivariate analysis. Most interesting is the resulting geographical mappings of gene flow. There are very many of great interest. For example, they show the three major migrations into North America from Beringia. They confirm that the dispersion of farming out of Anatolia 8,000 years ago was from migrations of farmers rather than merely the spread of a farming culture.

The authors freely draw from the fields of anthropoly, paleontology and linguistics (and occasionally written history) to supplement and complement the genetic data.

(The work shows clearly that race is not of genetic significance, never mind what you may possibly read elsewhere due to misunderstanding.)… (more)