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Neanderthal Man

In Search of Lost Genomes

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About this listen

A preeminent geneticist hunts the Neanderthal genome to answer the biggest question of them all: What does it mean to be human?

What can we learn from the genes of our closest evolutionary relatives? Neanderthal Man tells the story of geneticist Svante Pbo’s mission to answer that question, beginning with the study of DNA in Egyptian mummies in the early 1980s and culminating in his sequencing of the Neanderthal genome in 2009. From Pbo, we learn how Neanderthal genes offer a unique window into the lives of our hominin relatives and may hold the key to unlocking the mystery of why humans survived while Neanderthals went extinct. Drawing on genetic and fossil clues, Pbo explores what is known about the origin of modern humans and their relationship to the Neanderthals and describes the fierce debate surrounding the nature of the two species’ interactions.

A riveting story about a visionary researcher and the nature of scientific inquiry, Neanderthal Man offers rich insight into the fundamental question of who we are.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2014 Svante Pääbo (P)2014 Audible Inc. Biological Sciences Earth Sciences Environment Evolution Evolution & Genetics Genetics Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Professionals & Academics Science Science & Technology Natural History Paleontology
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Such a cool way to tell the discovery of how the the scientific community has worked and progressed in discovering the history of the Neanderthals and us.

Book with great storytelling

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Great insight into the trials and tribulations of peacing togetger the genetic story we share with our big brained, successful and ultimately enigmatic ancestors .

Human endevour behind Neathandal science.

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This book is fascinating but was probably not the best book for me in this area. It is a very detailed and well written account of the science behind the understanding of the Neanderthal genetic code and also an interesting autobiography of the scientist who lead the work. My level of understanding in this area is A level Biology followed by a zoology degree, admittedly 30 years ago, and I was often at full stretch to try to keep up with the arguments presented here. For me an abridged version would have worked better but if you want to get the complete picture and have the scientific knowledge to understand it you'll find all you could wish for here. The narrator is well matched to this type of material.

Fascinating - very in depth account

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I read this after it was recommended to my daughter at a university presentation about studying anthropology and was so impressed I wanted to find out more. I’ve always been fascinated by prehistoric history and while I don’t have a good understanding of biology, it was written so well that I could access the ideas. The author is generous in his acknowledgment of others’ contributions and I enjoyed the personal touches which I felt gave the narrative a holistic human perspective.

Fascinating!

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What made the experience of listening to Neanderthal Man the most enjoyable?

Pääbo is not only brilliant but funny and I have listened to the book twice in the last day and looked through the paper book again. This book taught me a lot and even made me laugh a fair amount.

What does Dennis Holland bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

It was great to get to listen to the book also since I could write a report on the subject at the same time as refresh my knowledge on the subject. Really nice to be able to do other things, like eat Nutella and think, while learning more also.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

twice. I didn't even sleep.

Any additional comments?

You just can't help getting obsessed with this subject. You just want to learn more and more.

the best book ever!

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