In Search of Our Ancient Ancestors

In Search of Our Ancient Ancestors
Author: Anthony Adolph
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2015-10-30
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1473849225

A top genealogist “shows how genetics helps and how it roots each of us in this magnificent story of Life on Earth in the most meaningful way imaginable.”—Reunite Magazine “What a fine long pedigree you have given the human race.”—Charles Darwin to Charles Lyell, 1863 How distantly are we related to dinosaurs? How much of your DNA came from Neanderthals? How are the builders of Stonehenge connected to great-grandpa? According to science, life first appeared on Earth about 3,500 million years ago. Every living thing is descended from that first spark, including all of us. But if we trace a direct line down from those original life forms to ourselves, what do we find? What is the full story of our family tree over the past 3,500 million years, and how are we able to trace ourselves so far back? From single-celled organisms to sea-dwelling vertebrates; amphibians to reptiles; tiny mammals to primitive man; the first Homo sapiens to the cave painters of Ice Age Europe and the first farmers down to the Norman Conquest, this book charts not only the extraordinary story of our ancient ancestors but also our 40,000-year-long quest to discover our roots, from ancient origin myths of world-shaping mammoths and great floods down to the scientific discovery of our descent from the Genetic Adam and the Mitochondrial Eve. “Having read it I’m still slightly shell-shocked by the range of topics that he covers, from the origins of the universe and life on Earth to the present-day DNA analysis that aims to answer some of our questions about our past. And everything in between!”—LostCousins

Ancestors in Our Genome

Ancestors in Our Genome
Author: Eugene E. Harris (Professor)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2015
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0199978034

In 2001, scientists were finally able to determine the full human genome sequence, and with the discovery began a genomic voyage back in time. Since then, we have sequenced the full genomes of a number of mankind's primate relatives at a remarkable rate. The genomes of the common chimpanzee (2005) and bonobo (2012), orangutan (2011), gorilla (2012), and macaque monkey (2007) have already been identified, and the determination of other primate genomes is well underway. Researchers are beginning to unravel our full genomic history, comparing it with closely related species to answer age-old questions about how and when we evolved. For the first time, we are finding our own ancestors in our genome and are thereby gleaning new information about our evolutionary past. In Ancestors in Our Genome, molecular anthropologist Eugene E. Harris presents us with a complete and up-to-date account of the evolution of the human genome and our species. Written from the perspective of population genetics, and in simple terms, the book traces human origins back to their source among our earliest human ancestors, and explains many of the most intriguing questions that genome scientists are currently working to answer. For example, what does the high level of discordance among the gene trees of humans and the African great apes tell us about our respective separations from our common ancestor? Was our separation from the apes fast or slow, and when and why did it occur? Where, when, and how did our modern species evolve? How do we search across genomes to find the genomic underpinnings of our large and complex brains and language abilities? How can we find the genomic bases for life at high altitudes, for lactose tolerance, resistance to disease, and for our different skin pigmentations? How and when did we interbreed with Neandertals and the recently discovered ancient Denisovans of Asia? Harris draws upon extensive experience researching primate evolution in order to deliver a lively and thorough history of human evolution. Ancestors in Our Genome is the most complete discussion of our current understanding of the human genome available.

In Search of Our Ancient Ancestors

In Search of Our Ancient Ancestors
Author: Anthony Adolph
Publisher: Pen and Sword Family History
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781473849211

How is the Royal Family descended from fish? How distantly are we related to dinosaurs? How much of your DNA came from Neanderthals? From single-celled organisms to sea-dwelling vertebrates; amphibians to reptiles; tiny mammals to primitive man; the first Homo sapiens to the cave painters of Ice Age Europe and the first farmers down to the Norman C

Ancestors

Ancestors
Author: Alice Roberts
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2021-05-27
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1471188035

An extraordinary exploration of the ancestry of Britain through seven burial sites. By using new advances in genetics and taking us through important archaeological discoveries, Professor Alice Roberts helps us better understand life today. ‘This is a terrific, timely and transporting book - taking us heart, body and mind beyond history, to the fascinating truth of the prehistoric past and the present’ Bettany Hughes We often think of Britain springing from nowhere with the arrival of the Romans. But in Ancestors, pre-eminent archaeologist, broadcaster and academic Professor Alice Roberts explores what we can learn about the very earliest Britons, from burial sites and by using new technology to analyse ancient DNA. Told through seven fascinating burial sites, this groundbreaking prehistory of Britain teaches us more about ourselves and our history: how people came and went and how we came to be on this island. It explores forgotten journeys and memories of migrations long ago, written into genes and preserved in the ground for thousands of years. This is a book about belonging: about walking in ancient places, in the footsteps of the ancestors. It explores our interconnected global ancestry, and the human experience that binds us all together. It’s about reaching back in time, to find ourselves, and our place in the world. PRE-ORDER CRYPT, THE FINAL BOOK IN ALICE ROBERTS' BRILLIANT TRILOGY – OUT FEBRUARY 2024.

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Author: Carl Sagan
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 528
Release: 2011-07-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0307801039

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Exciting and provocative . . . A tour de force of a book that begs to be seen as well as to be read.”—The Washington Post Book World World renowned scientist Carl Sagan and acclaimed author Ann Druyan have written a Roots for the human species, a lucid and riveting account of how humans got to be the way we are. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a thrilling saga that starts with the origin of the Earth. It shows with humor and drama that many of our key traits—self-awareness, technology, family ties, submission to authority, hatred for those a little different from ourselves, reason, and ethics—are rooted in the deep past, and illuminated by our kinship with other animals. Sagan and Druyan conduct a breathtaking journey through space and time, zeroing in on critical turning points in evolutionary history, and tracing the origins of sex, altruism, violence, rape, and dominance. Their book culminates in a stunningly original examination of the connection between primate and human traits. Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a triumph of popular science.

Researching Down Ancestors

Researching Down Ancestors
Author: Ian Maxwell
Publisher: Ulster Historical Foundation
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2004
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781903688014

Of all the nine counties of Ulster, none can claim a more cosmopolitan and fascinating history than Down. In ancient times it formed part of the ancient kingdom of the Ulaid; the Dal Fiatach, the most important of the groupings of tribes of Ulaid, came to dominate the east of the county with their capital at Downpatrick. Vikings came to raid and then settled along the coast. Later the Normans seized control of the Dal Fiatach kingdom constructing castles, monasteries and abbeys before becoming 'hibernicised'. In the seventeenth century, thousands of Scottish and English settlers poured into Down, establishing themselves in the north and east of the county. Meanwhile the native Irish were able to preserve their way of life in south Down where their close-knit communities were sufficiently well organised under their traditional leaders to co-exist with the newcomers. The distribution of surnames in the couty provides lasting evidence of its complex history. The purpose of this book is to provide a practical guide for the family historian searching for ancestors in County Down. It is true that many records have been lost, including those in the destruction of the Public Record Office in Dublin in 1922. However, much has survived to aid the dedicated family or local historian. Moreover, it has become increasingly accessible in the detailed catalogues and user-friendly searching aids in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Because of the breadth of the material covered, this book will appeal both to the experienced researcher and to the novice. Of particular value are the detailed listings of the records of landed estates, churches and schools, as well as the appendices listing townlands and unofficial place-names for the county.

Ancient Alien Ancestors

Ancient Alien Ancestors
Author: Will Hart
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 363
Release: 2017-07-18
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1591432545

Explores evidence for the theory of directed panspermia--that life on Earth and the landscape of Earth itself was engineered by extraterrestrials • Details how the Earth was terraformed through a sophisticated geo-engineering program, providing clear examples such as the precise mathematical longitude configurations of the Great Pyramid of Giza with the major rivers on Earth • Shows how our spectrum of blood types supports the theory of panspermia while directly contradicting the conventional “out of Africa” theory of evolution • Examines the strongest modern UFO accounts, including the Russian Roswell case, as well as the suppressed UFO sightings of NASA astronauts In the early 1970s, Nobel Prize-winning DNA co-discoverer Sir Francis Crick and his colleague Leslie Orgel proposed that in the distant past, an extraterrestrial race sent a spacecraft loaded with microorganisms to seed the Earth with life. Now, more than 40 years later, the fields of space research and biotechnology have advanced to the point where they can back up Crick and Orgel’s claims about our ancient alien ancestors. Sharing scientific evidence of alien involvement with life on our planet and with the very landscape of Earth itself, Will Hart refines the theory of directed panspermia--that life was intentionally seeded on Earth by extraterrestrials--to reveal that the same ET agency also created humans and generated civilization. He shows how the Earth was terraformed through an engineering program so sophisticated and vast that it has escaped our attention so far--for example, the major rivers on Earth are precisely aligned through geo-engineering with the Great Pyramid of Giza. Revealing the Great Pyramid as an alien message in stone, the author explains how the Giza pyramids could not have been built by the ancient Egyptians and examines the extraterrestrial energy technologies used to move the pyramids’ massive stone blocks, methods later rediscovered by Nikola Tesla and the builder of Coral Castle, Edward Leedskalnin. He details how an advanced race implanted the basic genome on Earth as well as genetically engineered the human race and shows how our spectrum of blood types supports the theory of panspermia while directly contradicting the conventional “out of Africa” theory of evolution. Investigating how the extraterrestrial agency behind the origin of civilization is still working behind the scenes today, the author examines the strongest modern UFO accounts, including the Russian Roswell case and the suppressed UFO sightings of NASA astronauts. He shows that this advanced ET civilization is not an alien race in the way we normally think of “aliens”--they are our ancestors and as human as we are.

Ancestor of the West

Ancestor of the West
Author: Jean Bottéro
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2000-06-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780226067155

At the same time Ancestor of the West reminds us that these cultures were precursors of our own precisely because they possessed an intelligence that we still recognize. The ancients, even in their earliest writings, thought like us."--BOOK JACKET.

The Creation of Inequality

The Creation of Inequality
Author: Kent Flannery
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 646
Release: 2012-05-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 0674064976

Flannery and Marcus demonstrate that the rise of inequality was not simply the result of population increase, food surplus, or the accumulation of valuables but resulted from conscious manipulation of the unique social logic that lies at the core of every human group. Reversing the social logic can reverse inequality, they argue, without violence.

Gifts from the Ancestors

Gifts from the Ancestors
Author: William W. Fitzhugh
Publisher:
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2009
Genre: Art
ISBN:

The appearance during the first millennium A.D. of small, exquisitely carved artifacts of walrus ivory in the Bering Strait region marks the beginning of an extraordinary florescence in the art and culture of North America. The discovery in the 1930s and 1940s of world-class carvings of animals, mythical beasts, shape-shifting creatures, masks, and human figurines astounded scholars and excited collectors. Nevertheless, the extraordinary objects that belong to this fascinating, sometimes frightening, world of hunting-related art remain largely unknown. Gifts from the Ancestors examines ancient ivories from the coast of Bering Strait, western Alaska, and the islands in between--illuminating their sophisticated formal aesthetic, cultural complexity, and individual histories. Many of the pieces discussed are from recent Russian excavations and are presented here for the first time in English; others are from private collections not usually open to the public. The essays, written by an international group of scholars, adopt a refreshing interdisciplinary approach that gives voice to the various competing, and now sometimes cooperating, stakeholders, including Native groups, museums, archaeologists, art historians, art dealers, and private collectors.