This book is the best I have seen.
It is so good that I have bought extra copies to send to family.

Wade's work is a succinct review of the human evolutionary experience, noting new genetic contributions and questions. But he could have stressed that modern geneticists describe an evolutionary process that is based on the random emergence of mutations, a process shroud in mystry and the unknown that directly refutes any theory of intelligent design.

This wholly fascinating book about the origins of man is brought up to date by the latest technology in genetic marking. Voila, we've now got access to when man developed language, religion, reciprocity, not to mention when he domesticated wolves, and began wearing clothes. Anything you've ever wanted to know about the ancestral family leaving Africa is touched upon in this 300+ page tome. And both sides of the creationist/Darwinian argument will have a bone upon which to chew.

To those who see all behavioral development as a result of post-natal influence vs those who question Darwin's theories as a matter of religious beliefs I say, keep an open mind; how else might you learn? Or perhaps learning isn't your quest though if it wasn't you probably wouldn't be reading this review. Feel free to postulate or disagree, but the coverage of these events over time is fascinating to anyone interested in critical thinking skills.

The Qtrly issue of the City Journal, 2009, has an article called "the DNA of politics" and in that piece it's posited that 40% of our political positions are a result of our genetic markers, or underpinnings if you like. These conclusions are the result of testing identical twins versus fraternal twins, something you can learn more about in a book called called "Born that way" by William Wright. The bonus question is - how did we develop a gene marker for political positions? Was it connected to our fight or flight response? And why are political positions so borne of emotion over logic?

It's all heady stuff, but "Before the dawn" will get you on the road, don't miss it!

Before the Dawn is an excellent presentation of the evolutionary journey of our species from an ape ancestor millions of years in the past until the beginning of civilization about ten thousand years ago. There are several reasons I think it deserves a five-star rating. One of the most important is the way in which recent advances in genetics are shown to complement and verify conclusions based on archeological evidence. In many cases we are shown how DNA analysis tips the scales of likelihood in favor of one theory over another. Another compelling aspect of the book is the sheer range of topics that are explored, such as: How are we related to the other primates? Why did humans take their evolutionary path that led to higher intelligence while chimps and gorillas remained basically the same? When did the first modern humans appear, and what evolutionary factors brought about their development? How and when did language originate? How and when did the different human races originate? Each of these questions, and more, is considered in light of the major theories which have been proposed and also according to what can be inferred from the evidence of genetics and fossils. Wade delves into some controversial subjects such as the biological bases of race and intelligence, the aggressive nature of primitive humanity, and cannibalism. Personally I admire his stance of trying to look objectively at these touchy issues and showing us how others in academia have tried to gloss them over. A concept which emerges from the various discussions in the book is that of the complexity of the forces that shaped mankind. Not only the accustomed environment toward which the evolving primates were adapted, but also huge climactic variations, competition with other animals and other primitive humans for food, and conditions of social life within the group all had their impacts on the types of genes which were selected for survival. Because all of this is covered so thoroughly, with so little fluff, I had the feeling when I finished that I had read a book twice this size. But it is put together so well my interest never flagged. A rather astounding idea touched on in the latter part of the book is that evolution is still happening with humans, and for various reasons, could lead to a branching of the race into more than one species. Wade is a dedicated Darwinist, and like many others of his persuasion makes categorical statements such as; "But evolution, of course, is a blind, inanimate process with no goals, let alone any interest in human welfare."--page 34. My opinion is that neither Wade nor anyone else can demonstrate with absolute certainty that such is the case, appearances notwithstanding, and would do well to let readers draw their own conclusions about metaphysical concepts. Be that as it may, the author has put together an extremely plausible scenario of how things came to be the way they are. He freely admits that a good portion of the saga is speculative, but his aim is to assemble the best story to fit the evidence. Thus, while it is all very plausible sounding, it is possible that new techniques or discoveries could significantly modify some of these interpretations.

Best book I have read yet on human evolutionary biology - and I have read many!