Genes, peoples, and languages

Abstract

Historians relying on written records can tell us nothing about the 99.9 per cent of human evolution which preceded the invention of writing. It is the study of generic variation, backed up by language and archaeology, which provides concrete evidence about the spread of cultural innovations, the movements of people across the globe, the precise links between races, and the sheer unscientific absurdity of racism. Cavalli-Sforza was both a pioneer in the field and the world’s leading contributor to it. This book offers a wonderfully accessible account of his key results.