A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived summary

You now know that genetic analysis can help us get a better read on human evolution. But it can also shine a light on the development of culture. That’s because changes in cultural practices impact our genes, leaving clues to their existence.

Oddly enough, the best example here is milk. For instance, while some people drink it every day and with pleasure, most adults in the world are lactose intolerant and can’t digest the stuff. So, why is a small group capable of metabolizing dairy?

When Columbus arrived in the Americas, he was certainly not the first outsider to make the trip. In fact, five hundred years prior, Viking warriors had landed on American shores and decided not to bother the people living there.

Native Americans had been calling the continent home for at least 20,000 years when Columbus landed. Interestingly, genetic analysis can also help us understand why they moved to America and how their different nations are related to one another.

Have you heard of Charlemagne? Well, this ninth-century king and Holy Roman Emperor may just be your ancestor.

In fact, everyone comes from noble ancestry; it’s just a matter of mathematics.

It’s hard to talk about genetics without getting into the thorny subject of race. What does science really have to say on the topic?

Well, in the past there have been attempts to justify racism through genetics. In 2013, Nicholas Wende, a former science editor at the New York Times, published a book called A Troublesome Inheritance. The book not only claimed that race could be defined genetically, but it also said that the DNA of a population accounted for its culture. He went so far as to claim that Jews have genes that are “adapted for success in capitalism.”

Do you remember June 26, 2000? Well, it was a historic day, but probably not one to which many people paid attention. US President Bill Clinton invited the head scientists at the Human Genome Project to the White House to publicly announce that the entire human genome had been deciphered for the first time.

Naturally, this feat was groundbreaking. The Human Genome Project was one of the largest scientific enterprises ever attempted; in just eight years it had successfully read the three billion letters of DNA that compose the human genetic code.

If you search Google for the phrase, “scientists discover the gene for…” you’ll get an endless list of shocking results. For instance, you might stumble upon a 2008 article from the Guardian, entitled, “Scientists discover the gene for cocaine addiction.”

Despite the reputability of the source, such claims are unscientific nonsense. So, why the confusion?

In science-fiction movies like X-Men, mutants utilize superhuman powers to accomplish all kinds of extraordinary feats. So when are humans going to evolve to the point where we actually develop such powers?

Well, the shocking answer is, we already have. We have invented airplanes, night-vision goggles and all manner of other things that increase our abilities. The best part is, there’s no need to grow huge wings or odd-looking feline eyes.