What purpose was served by the genes we retain from our long lost cousins is still being investigated, but it seems certain that at least one important function was strengthening our immune system from certain diseases. “Thanks to Pääbo's work, we know that Europeans and Asians inherited some DNA from Neanderthals before the latter finally died out about 30,000 years ago. Smaller sections dealing with Pääbo's private life show the complex interplay between the social and professional aspects of this brilliant, complex individual. “Pääbo's opinions on competitors, scientific publishing, establishing collaborations in former Soviet bloc countries, and much more are sprinkled throughout. Whether unacquainted with Pääbo's work or regular followers of his publications, readers will find that Neanderthal Man provides a nonpareil account of the development of the field of ancient DNA.” “Pääbo provides a riveting, personal account of the development of paleogenetics and the technical revolution that made the field possible. “ Neanderthal Man opens with this episode, and it's a nice touch by Pääbo, bringing us straight to the moment when his long, painstaking effort to tease ancient DNA out of hominin fossils yielded its first dramatic results”

For readers of Richard Dawkins, David Reich, and Hope Jahren, Neanderthal Man is the must-read account of how he did it. Pääbo redrew our family tree and permanently changed the way we think about who we are and how we got here. We learn that Neanderthal genes offer a unique window into the lives of our ancient relatives and may hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of where language came from as well as why humans survived while Neanderthals went extinct.

Beginning with the study of DNA in Egyptian mummies in the early 1980s and culminating in the sequencing of the Neanderthal genome in 2010, Neanderthal Man describes the events, intrigues, failures, and triumphs of these scientifically rich years through the lens of the pioneer and inventor of the field of ancient DNA, Svante Pääbo. Neanderthal Man tells the riveting personal and scientific story of the quest to use ancient DNA to unlock the secrets of human evolution.

A preeminent geneticist, winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in medicine, hunts the Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes to answer the biggest question of them all: how did our ancestors become human?

Svante paabo book