Book Summary:
Regarded by many as one of the most important scientists of our time, L. Luca Cavalli-Sforza has changed the way we understand human genetics and culture. Drawing links between genetic and cultural development, Cavalli-Sforza has made groundbreaking discoveries in the evolution of Homo sapiens, prehistoric migration, and the origins of human differentiation. Based on interviews with his colleagues and analyses of his work, Stone and Lurquin's biography, the first on the scientist, offers an insightful portrait of Cavalli-Sforza's life and ideas. Cavalli-Sforza's first major breakthrough came in the 1950s with his discoveries in bacterial genetics and sexual reproduction. Revolutionary at the time, these discoveries continue to influence efforts in gene cloning. He then went on to develop scientific and statistical techniques to trace the evolution of Homo sapiens. Using these techniques, Cavalli-Sforza was able to more fully describe human origins and prehistoric migrations over the planet. More recently, his work on the Y chromosome has helped pin down with greater accuracy the timing of human differentiation into ethnic groups. As the founder of the Human Genome Diversity Project, an organization devoted to collecting DNA data from remote and isolated human populations, Cavalli-Sforza has deepened our understanding of the genetic structure of human populations. Stone and Lurquin examine Cavalli-Sforza's integration of genetics with the study of human culture and language. His explanation of how cultural traits, like genetic ones, are transmitted from generation to generation has influenced the study of linguistic and cultural diversification. Cavalli-Sforza's work has not been without controversy and Stone and Lurquin provide a critical analysis of his ideas and the contentious issues it has raised. Additionally, they view his life and work in the context of twentieth-century political and intellectual history. |