Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza draws upon his lifelong work in archaeology, anthropology, genetics, molecular biology, and linguistics, to address the basic questions of human origins and diversity. Coauthored by his son, Francesco, the book answers age-old questions such as: Was there a mitochondrial Eve? Did the first humans originate in Africa or in several spots on the planet at about the same time? How did humans get onto North America, the tip of South America, and Australia?

Table of Contents

* The Oldest Way of Life * Portraits from the Past * One Hundred Thousand Years * Why Are We Different? The Theory of Evolution * How Different Are We? The Genetic History of the Human Species * The Last Ten Thousand Years: The Great Trek of the Cultivators * The Tower of Babel * Cultural Legacies, Genetic Legacies * Race and Racism * Evolution and Progress