Genes, Peoples, and Languages

Rating:
Summary: Inspiration for more reading on the subject
Review: There is almost no scientific paper on etnology and antropology that doesn't refer to Cavalli-Sforza's work, which spans several decades and accounts for dozens of publications on the most prestigious scientific journals. The capacity of Cavalli-Sforza of translating into popular science the work that he has accumulated in years of world-class research is admirable.
The book features a re-adapted collection of lessons he held in Paris. It is perfectbly suitable for anyone from the layman to the scientist. In order to make the tractation more fluid, notes with more specific details are found in an appendix. The book summarizes the most important steps in the development of Cavalli-Sforza's scientific quest and projects into areas of interest for which he is less famous, namely glottology.
This book is a must read for anyone interested in etnology, antropology, glottology and genetics. It is not too long and can be considered the first inspiration to continue reading on the subject. At times Prof. Cavalli-Sforza's personal comments on the social and political aspects of research on science are expressed, and maybe sometimes they result out of place. Another limit of the book is that, being so short, some topics are just mentioned, and not enough information is given. This may be upsetting, but then again, it is another reason for reading more on the subject.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in tracking the history of humanity through the differentiation of the genoma, learning about the different families of languages spoken on our planet and searching for accounts of practical achievements of population genetics.

Rating:
Summary: Read it and use it right away in your daily life.
Review: This is the type of book you don't want to stop reading. After reading, you jump to the site again to see what else the author made in order to buy it. The number of (explained) genetic information the author provides is astonishing. Did you know, for instance, that the American autoctone populations (at least from the European point of view) are 98% blood types O? The author, also, goes the extra mile explaining that this happened because of only one of two possibilities. Want to know? Just read the book and you find why. I am sure you will not be disappointed by the writting style of the Italian author who explains difficult things (genetic vocabulary) in a very easy and unpretentious manner. His adamant position against racism is also pretty interesting, given the scientific data presented, which contradicts all the so-called Aryan theories of the nazi era. Good reading..