Summary of Nicholas Wade's Before the Dawn

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The human genome, which is the repository of hereditary information that is in constant flux, can be interrogated at many different time levels. It can supply answers that reach back more than 50,000 years to the genetic Adam, a man whose Y chromosome is carried by all men now alive. #2 The book describes the aspects of human evolution that have been illuminated by genetic discoveries. It explains how humans evolved from apes, and it details the events that occurred after humans left Africa. #3 The date that people first sewed their own clothes was found in 1999 by geneticists. They had collected head and body lice from 12 countries around the world, and analyzed the variations in a small segment of each louse’s genetic material. They then arranged the lice in a family tree. #4 The branch point at which the body louse first evolved from the head louse was around 72,000 years ago. Assuming that the body louse evolved almost immediately after its new niche was available to it, people first addressed their nakedness only a few thousand years ago.