A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, by Adam Rutherford, is a nicely measured work of popular science that, unlike far too many popular science books/articles, doesn’t overhype its subject matter — advances in deciphering the human genome and how such advances can be applied. Always seeking to inform rather than sell, Rutherford makes for a trustworthy guide whose down-to-earth, realistic perspective doesn’t at all detract from the inherent wonder of science.

He divides the work into two large segments: “the rewriting of the past using genetics, from a time when there were at least four human species on Earth right up to the kings of Europe in the eighteenth century” and an exploration of “who we are todays, and what the study of DNA in the 21st century says about families, health, psychology, race, and the fate of us.” Whether he is discussing how genetics/DNA have helped inform a host of issues, such as what the discovery of Lucy (Australopithecus afrensis) can tell us about human evolution, how King Richard III’s body was uncovered and identified, or why the concept of race is an illusion, he is always careful, to also tell us what DNA cannot do for us. As he says as one point, “DNA is a clue, not a silver bullet. It takes skill and care to make that clue into something valuable.” Or, in fewer words: “Don’t believe the hype” (he levies particular scorn at those companies who seek to monetize genomics, whether through promises of finding your “famous” ancestors or through books that declare they’ve found the real Jack the Ripper).

Much of what Rutherford does is attempt to refute or clarify a lot of myths surrounding genetics and ancestry. Some of it will require patient reading/rereading and thinking on the audience’s part. Not because the science is difficult or because Rutherford employs a lot of jargon — it isn’t and he doesn’t — but because it seems to fly in the face of “common sense.” But we’re not all that great at statistics or large numbers, so our common sense is often, as he lays out clearly, wrong.

He casts a wide net, ranging far afield though always tethered to the focus on DNA/genetics. And so we get discussion of early hominids/evolution, the rise of red hair and white skin, how brown eyes might come about (not quite as simple at what you learned in 10th grade bio), the ugliness of eugenics, the pretend nature of race as a concept, the role of genetics in disease and treatment (“the number of diseases that have been cured as a result of gene therapy? Zero”). Sometimes one may feel a little lost in the seemingly random meandering Rutherford does, but he always circle us back to his main ideas before we feel too far afield. If I had one complaint, it would probably be an occasional lack of focus or structure. But given the clarity of Rutherford’s voice throughout, the patience with which he takes us through concepts that our human minds want to fight against in knee-jerk fusion, his refusal to overhype the science, and his clear sense of enthusiasm and wonder, a complaint about structure is a minor nitpick.

If you’re interested in early human evolution, the first half of the book serves not only as a nice overview complement to other works much more focused on that singular topic but also as a nice tonic against the dumbed down way in which discoveries in that field are reported in newspapers and magazines. The second half of the book, meanwhile, is much more vibrantly involved with our everyday contemporary world. Beyond the science, beyond the promises of medical treatments and discoveries, one could do worse in this politically charged environment than read a book that explains in painstaking fashion why we are all much more alike than we are different, and why those surface difference we cling to — race, nationality, and the like — are mere chimeras.

DNA has been much in the new in the last couple of decades – questions about eg. the future of redheads or the existence of a ‘warrior’ gene and its recent use in court cases. Geneticist Adam Rutherford looks at these and many more issues in his fascinating and highly readable book A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived. He talks about the Human Genome Project and its importance to science as well as the rise of genetic testing companies like 23 and Me (he had himself tested with mostly unsurprising results). He also writes about race which doesn’t exist and racism which does and how so many white supremacists are having their DNA tested to often disappointing (for them) results.

As is pointed out in the cover blurb to this book, the history of our species from its beginning to the present is written in our genes – an ‘epic poem in our cells’ – and Rutherford tells it very well, making it not only interesting but accessible to even those like me without a scientific background but with a curiousity to know more about who we are, where we came from, and where we are likely heading. As he shows, we have adapted genetically in wonderful ways that are ‘fit for purpose’ – anyone who may be hoping that we will eventually sprout wings so that we can fly without airline tickets are probably going to be disappointed. Most of all, he shows that our genes prove that we humans are unique and special just like all other species.

Thanks to Netgalley and The Experiment for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Although I had read controversial reviews of this book, I quite enjoyed it. Ruterford tries to explain genetics and the history of the human race in layman's terms, which I greatly appreciated. Though, I am not sure all facts presented are scientifically sound (this is why I am giving this book only 3 stars - I'm just not sure whether all truths presented are indeed truths). I am not a geneticist but work with students in that field and hence this book will certainly be discussed in class.

A great, entertaining look at humanity through genetics

I loved this book. It is the second by Adam Rutherford that I've read and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first, Creation. Rutherford writes in plain language and although it is a science book, it reads more like a novel. It is a meandering but fascinating look at human history through DNA, but in jargon-free language. What I like best about the book are: the message that we are all interconnected; Rutherford's great use of the alphabet as an analog for genes and DNA; and Rutherford’s great sense of humor. His description of a medical symposium is as funny as anything I've read. I have read a few history of humanity books lately and not many can match Rutherford’s. One that is a match is “Built on Bones” by Brenna Hassett but both of these books are far superior to Peter Ungar’s Evolution’s Bite. I strongly recommend Rutherford’s book for anyone interested in science.

Marvellous book, and I couldn't get enough of it! The author does a great job rounding up exactly what makes us, humans, unique and at the same time homogeneous. My favourite sections were of course on our relation to other species of Hominids and the failed attempts by some scientists to show correlation between genetics and predisposal to criminal behaviour. A required reading for anyone looking for a comprehensive understanding of the basics of human genetics, explained in layman terms.

The trouble with popular science books is that at some point they have to get down and dirty with real hard science, and however hard the author tries, and however skilled he is at making the difficult accessible, that’s one big stumbling block for the non-scientists out there. I so wanted to be more engaged with this book. Genetics is important, right? We need to understand the subject. It explains our past and informs out future. Adam Rutherford has no doubt done his best, but his best just isn’t good enough. The book is so long-winded, muddled and rambling that the science gets lost along the way. A few anecdotes do not a good science book make. And it seems (though I am not qualified to judge) that he makes quite a few mistakes and misinterprets the data on more than one occasion. I can’t comment on that but I didn’t feel that I came away from struggling through the book with any clear idea of what he was actually saying. There are some interesting nuggets here, for sure, but they get lost in all those words. A brave, but ultimately unsuccessful, attempt at making genetics clear for the layman.

This is a fantastic science book. The title suggests and achieves its goal.