Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Neanderthal Man

Book Jacket for: Neanderthal man : in search of lost genomesIn Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes Svante Paabo details the process he and his team of fellow scientists followed to obtain a copy of Neanderthal DNA.  This book also discusses how that information can be used as we move forward in science.  Despite this somewhat dry sounding description the book is really quite interesting.  Paabo inserts an awful lot of himself into the descriptions, including his thoughts & feelings and a bit of his personal life.  This all serves to make the book somewhat different, though some of the stuff he includes is not exactly relevant.  Nevertheless the book offers a fascinating peak into how collaborative, technically supported science works.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the question of genes, DNA, evolution, and the like.