Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People [Kindle Edition]
Author: Harry Ostrer | Language: English | ISBN: B008MWL9HG | Format: PDF, EPUB
Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People
Free download Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People from mediafire, rapishare, and mirror link Who are the Jews--a race, a people, a religious group? For over a century, non-Jews and Jews alike have tried to identify who they were--first applying the methods of physical anthropology and more recently of population genetics.
In Legacy, Harry Ostrer, a medical geneticist and authority on the genetics of the Jewish people, explores not only the history of these efforts, but also the insights that genetics has provided about the histories of contemporary Jewish people. Much of the book is told through the lives of scientific pioneers. We meet Russian immigrant Maurice Fishberg; Australian Joseph Jacobs, the leading Jewish anthropologist in fin-de-siecle Europe; Chaim Sheba, a colorful Israeli geneticist and surgeon general of the Israeli Army; and Arthur Mourant, one of the foremost cataloguers of blood groups in the 20th century. As Ostrer describes their work and the work of others, he shows that to look over the genetics of Jewish groups, and to see the history of the Diaspora woven there, is truly a marvel. Here is what happened as the Jews migrated to new places and saw their numbers wax and wane, as they gained and lost adherents and thrived or were buffeted by famine, disease, wars, and persecution. Many of these groups--from North Africa, the Middle East, India--are little-known, and by telling their stories, Ostrer brings them to the forefront at a time when assimilation is literally changing the face of world Jewry.
A fascinating blend of history, science, and biography, Legacy offers readers an entirely fresh perspective on the Jewish people and their history. It is as well a cutting-edge portrait of population genetics, a field which may soon take its place as a pillar of group identity alongside shared spirituality, shared social values, and a shared cultural legacy. Direct download links available for Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People [Kindle Edition]
Free download Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People from mediafire, rapishare, and mirror link Who are the Jews--a race, a people, a religious group? For over a century, non-Jews and Jews alike have tried to identify who they were--first applying the methods of physical anthropology and more recently of population genetics.
In Legacy, Harry Ostrer, a medical geneticist and authority on the genetics of the Jewish people, explores not only the history of these efforts, but also the insights that genetics has provided about the histories of contemporary Jewish people. Much of the book is told through the lives of scientific pioneers. We meet Russian immigrant Maurice Fishberg; Australian Joseph Jacobs, the leading Jewish anthropologist in fin-de-siecle Europe; Chaim Sheba, a colorful Israeli geneticist and surgeon general of the Israeli Army; and Arthur Mourant, one of the foremost cataloguers of blood groups in the 20th century. As Ostrer describes their work and the work of others, he shows that to look over the genetics of Jewish groups, and to see the history of the Diaspora woven there, is truly a marvel. Here is what happened as the Jews migrated to new places and saw their numbers wax and wane, as they gained and lost adherents and thrived or were buffeted by famine, disease, wars, and persecution. Many of these groups--from North Africa, the Middle East, India--are little-known, and by telling their stories, Ostrer brings them to the forefront at a time when assimilation is literally changing the face of world Jewry.
A fascinating blend of history, science, and biography, Legacy offers readers an entirely fresh perspective on the Jewish people and their history. It is as well a cutting-edge portrait of population genetics, a field which may soon take its place as a pillar of group identity alongside shared spirituality, shared social values, and a shared cultural legacy. Direct download links available for Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People [Kindle Edition]
- File Size: 3840 KB
- Print Length: 288 pages
- Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (April 19, 2012)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B008MWL9HG
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
- Lending: Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,531 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #69 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Mammals
It is a treat to read a book on such a complex topic that manages to maintain a balance between over-academic writing and over-simplified science. In my opinion Dr Ostrer has succeeded in bringing us a very contemporary account of a field that is continually evolving. His primary contribution to the study of Jewish genetic analysis is the Jewish HapMap project, in coordination with the Einstein College of Medicine. Jewish communities worldwide were tested and the results demonstrated that the major Jewish Diaspora groups (Sephardic, Ashkenazi and Mizrachi) form distinct population clusters with Mideast ancestry and varying degrees of European admixture. The findings are consistent with Jewish history and origins in the Middle East.
There is a lack of coherence between some of the chapters, and "Looking Jewish" is an odd title for a chapter that begins with a history of some early medical research, and discussion of migratory patterns following the destruction of the Jewish kingdom over 2000 years ago. An excellent graph illustrates the changes in Jewish population over the centuries in conjunction with relevant historical events. Despite some early [discredited] theories, anyone who has spent time in, say, Tel Aviv (with its population originating from dozens of countries throughout the world), would instantly recognize how absurd the idea of "looking Jewish" is.
For those with an interest in genetic genealogy, a wide variety of topics are discussed: the research leading to the discovery of the Cohanim Modal Haplotype (CMH), attempts to discern genetic links to King David, and the unique history of Libyan Jews. The Libyan Jewish community turns out to be extremely old, dating from around 300 BCE, and spent the last 400 years isolated from other Jewish populations.
For purposes of a helpful review, I'll use the Jon Entine book, Abraham's Children: Race, Identity, and the DNA of the Chosen People for comparison. Of the two, I would definitely recommend this book more, and that is for several reasons:
1. There is also a bit of ancient history here (destruction of the Second Temple/ Hasmoneans/ etc), but not enough to make the book bloated-- and actually about 200 pages shorter than the Jon Entine book. There were a few stories around which to wrap the genetics, but they were much shorter and felt secondary to the science.
2. This particular book was actually written by a geneticist who was familiar with the meaning of the genetic techniques, and his familiarity came through in the writing. It was a scientist writing like a journalist for a popular audience and not a journalist trying to write like a scientist for a popular audience.
3. This book is much more current, and so some things have been updated. For instance: The Cohen Modal Haplotype was discussed at some length in the Entine book, but in the Ostrer book that discussion was expanded by talking about the limitations of the old model (6 markers) and improvements of the extended Cohen Modal Haplotype (12 markers).
4. There are also lots (!) of coalescence times (of the diseases and other things), which were notably absent in Entine's book.
Of the book alone:
1. In some ways, it reads like a broadside.
2. The organization was a bit strange (though the book was only six chapters, so the strange organization was not enough to destroy the whole book).
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