After the basics are covered in the first few chapters, the
reader is treated to some very interesting cases and
possibilities in the later portions of the book. A variety of
examples are used from the lack of genetic variation in species
that have been through a population bottleneck (like the
Cheetah) to the impossible nature of harvesting ancient DNA from
bones. Scenes such as those permanently painted in amber or in
the 5,300 year old tattooed "Ice Man" discovered in the Tyrolean
Oetztaler Alps make the book fascinating for those interested in
anthropology. Lewin covers the history of many scientific
controversies which have been more or less solved via the advent
of the molecular evidence. One such area is that of human
evolution. His treatment of the multiregional vs. recent
migration theories is more thorough than it was in Origins
Reconsidered. I found his explanation of the neutral vs.
selectionist molecular evolution debate to be more clearly
presented here than in Mark Ridley's Evolution. The forma