Böcker av Carles Lalueza-Fox

How genomics reveals deep histories of inequality, going back many thousands of years.Inequality is an urgent global concern, with pundits, politicians, academics, and best-selling books all taking up its causes and consequences. In Inequality, Carles Lalueza-Fox offers an entirely new perspective on the subject, examining the genetic marks left by inequality on humans throughout history. Lalueza-Fox describes genetic studies, made possible by novel DNA sequencing technologies, that reveal layers of inequality in past societies, manifested in patterns of migration, social structures, and funerary practices. Through their DNA, ancient skeletons have much to tell us, yielding anonymous stories of inequality, bias, and suffering.Lalueza-Fox, a leader in paleogenomics, offers the deep history of inequality. He explores the ancestral shifts associated with migration and describes the gender bias unearthed in these migrations—the brutal sexual asymmetries, for example, between male European explorers and the women of Latin America that are revealed by DNA analysis. He considers social structures, and the evidence that high social standing was inherited—the ancient world was not a meritocracy. He untangles social and genetic factors to consider whether wealth is an advantage in reproduction, showing why we are more likely to be descended from a king than a peasant. And he explores the effects of ancient inequality on the human gene pool. Marshaling a range of evidence, Lalueza-Fox shows that understanding past inequalities is key to understanding present ones.

"As one of the pioneers of the field of ancient DNA, Dr. Lalueza-Fox has witnessed its evolution from a technical curiosity to a field that holds enormous future potential. There are few better placed to give an introduction to the topic of de-extinction." -- Marcus Thomas Pius Gilbert, professor at the Center for GeoGenetics in Denmark and world expert in paleogenomics and de-extinction. "Lalueza-Fox is an expert in the recovery and analysis of ancient DNA, which means he is more than qualified to discuss some of the major technical challenges to bringing extinct species back to life" -- Dr. Beth Shapiro, evolutionary biologist. Few things seem as irreversible as death, whether for an individual or a species. But what would happen if death was reversible, if we could bring back to life something similar to the species that became extinct in the past? Recent developments in various techniques in molecular biology, among them cloning, synthetic genomes and genetic editing, have led to the emergence of a field of research that is in pursuit of de-extinction. This is a controversial ambition that presents far-reaching scientific, ethical, economic and social challenges. Even so, its proponents defend it as one of the possible ways to restore ecosystems and even fight against climate change. Explained over the course of this book are the possibilities for de-extinction and how they could transform the global ecosystem in the future. ABOUT THE SERIES: Quick Immersions uses accurate and straightforward language to offer a good introduction, or deeper knowledge, on diverse issues, as well-structured texts by prestigious authors delve into the worlds of political and social sciences, philosophy, science and the humanities.

"New genomic studies on ancient remains are unveiling different forms of inequality that were prevalent in the past and have shaped the genomes of humankind"--