Neanderthal Man

In Search of Lost Genomes

By: Svante Pääbo

Narrated by: Dennis Holland

Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

A preeminent geneticist hunts the Neanderthal genome to answer the biggest question of them all: What does it mean to be human?

What can we learn from the genes of our closest evolutionary relatives? Neanderthal Man tells the story of geneticist Svante Pbo’s mission to answer that question, beginning with the study of DNA in Egyptian mummies in the early 1980s and culminating in his sequencing of the Neanderthal genome in 2009. From Pbo, we learn how Neanderthal genes offer a unique window into the lives of our hominin relatives and may hold the key to unlocking the mystery of why humans survived while Neanderthals went extinct. Drawing on genetic and fossil clues, Pbo explores what is known about the origin of modern humans and their relationship to the Neanderthals and describes the fierce debate surrounding the nature of the two species’ interactions.

A riveting story about a visionary researcher and the nature of scientific inquiry, Neanderthal Man offers rich insight into the fundamental question of who we are.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2014 Svante Pääbo (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Excellent science tale

In this book the Swedish professor, Svante Päbo, who is currently running a lab at the Max Planck institute in Leipzig, tells his tale about how he ended up sequencing the Neanderthal genome. It is a well balanced tale which contains just the right mixture of personal details (including that he is bisexual and that he had a long affair with a woman married to a colleague), and science.

To my relief Päbo skips over his early childhood and jumps straight to the time when he studied medicine in Uppsala. Having worked with DNA sequencing Päbo wondered whether DNA could be extracted from old samples. First he tried a cow liver that he had stored in the lab for some time. When he realised that this was no problem obtained tissue from an egyptian mummy (which he had been interested in for some time). Though it involved some difficulties (describes in much detail in the book), Päbo managed to extract DNA from the mummy as well. When he sent his manuscript to a professor at Berkeley, the professor, who did not realize that Päbo had not even earned his PhD, asked if he could not come and spend his sabbatical at Päbo’s laboratory. Since Päbo did not have a laboratory, he ended up going to Berkeley instead.

What impressed me most about Päbo, is how he has managed to pursue one important goal (sequence the Neanderthal genome), for more than two decades. He has approached this goal in a methodical, stepwise manner, so that in retrospect, everything makes sense. Päbo also makes an effort to describe the often advanced methods used to attain his goal. For me (I have a PhD in neuroscience but only superficial knowledge about DNA), the level was just right, however, I think that even readers who have very little prior knowledge can learn a lot.

In parallel with this scientific tale, Päbo describes the Neanderthals and the world they lived in before they went extinct 30.000 years ago. Indeed one of this book's thrills is learning what the discoveries in the laboratory says about the life of our ancestors. Fire example, it was long thought (and still believed by many), that Neanderthals were an inferior race who went entirely extinct. However Päbo's discoveries indicate that Neanderthals were dominant to us and that because of interbreeding between our race and Neanderthals, modern humans actually have some Neanderthal DNA in them (some more than others).This interplay between scientific theory and its implications, methodological developments and what it tells us about our ancestors also makes this one of the best books I have read when it comes to illustrating the scientific process. Despite his success, Päbo at least appears to maintain an all important skeptical attitude towards his own work and he is careful not to make categorical claims when they are not warranted.

All in all the Neanderthal man is an impressive scientific story told by an impressive scientist. I would not be surprised if, in a few years, Päbo receives a well earned Nobel prize.

Not really about Neanderthal man

I’m very interested in Neanderthal Man. I’ve always been intrigued by this species of hominin that appeared very well adapted to survival. They were solid, well-built folks who looked like they would be much better at toughing out an ice-age, without thermal underwear, than we puny humans. And yet they didn’t survive. We cunningly killed them off, somehow. Either by defeating them in battle or outcompeting them for resources; I’m not exactly sure how we managed it, and that is all part of the fascination.

But this book isn’t about that story. This book is in fact the autobiography of a Swedish scientist who painstakingly uncovered the Neanderthal genome by analysing samples from ancient Neanderthal bones – an incredibly difficult task. It’s a proper autobiography, with extra-marital affairs and sex on the beach, but its main focus is the epic scientific endeavour to find the genome, spread over many years and including countless tribulations and setbacks.

If I’d read the by-line of the book (‘in search of lost genomes’), then I’d probably have realised that it was not going to be about Neanderthals, how they lived, what they got up to, why they succumbed to extinction, but I didn’t. As it was, the story of the quest for the genome was still fascinating and well worth a listen.

Not what I thought

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It would depend on who that friend was!

Were the concepts of this book easy to follow, or were they too technical?

Very very technical but still I caught a lot of it because he describes things very well. I have a mere bachelors degree so this was... a lot for me. I by no means caught it all but did learn a lot.

Any additional comments?

I really thought this would be more about our ancient ancestors and Neanderthals and give a lot of details about the past. Instead it is very autobiographical and primarily about the author's (admittedly) interesting career and life. As a result I have learned A TON about the science behind the dating of ancient artifacts and fossils. If you are not in the science field it could also be an eye-opening view into the nature of research... rustling up funding and the race to publish... the competition etc.
It's not what I thought it would be but it has definitely been interesting and I have learned new things. Boy do I wish I were smarter though...

Fascinating, well-balanced read

What made the experience of listening to Neanderthal Man the most enjoyable?

I absolutely loved this book. For a subject with great potential for being a very dry read - it is a play-by-play recount of a couple of decades work on sequencing archaic DNA, after all - I was glad to find it a very engaging, well paced, and extremely well-written read.

I have a science background and am well-read in this specific topic, but the author wrote the details of genetic research in a manner that lay persons too could readily follow, whilst not dumbing it down. The story of the unceasing struggles over the years to first find archaic DNA, and to then coax it to reveal its secrets using what were for many years extremely labour-intensive techniques, is an inspiring theme in itself for anyone working on an extended and challenging project. The staggered evolution of lab technology since the project's beginnings, and the impacts both positive and negative that these had on the research progress was a tale worth telling in its own right. Not much is visible in the public arena of the hard work and innumerable setbacks that scientific researchers go through behind the scenes, and it is easy I think for the public to imagine that 'they' just put a few pieces of bone into a machine, press a button, and suddenly a holographic image pops up of the decedent in question, glaring out at them with heavy Neanderthal frown and clutching his lower paleolithic spiked club. This book shares the true nature of genetic archaeology, politics, scandals and all.

Speaking of which, I also enjoyed the human aspects of the research project team. Hearing stories of the interpersonal dynamics at play both within the research team and between them and external bodies nicely rounded out the scientific aspects of the story. Some reviewers on Amazon did feel the more personal stories of the author's love life a bit unnecessary, but whilst surprised at the direction the book took I didn't mind those either; it was nice to hear more of the human being writing the story beyond his research prowess, especially since the book already had me hooked from the start.

Overall this is a great book that I'll certainly listen to again. Having read (i.e. listened to!) many other books on evolution, especially of humans, it was invaluable to hear the stories behind the genome sequencing I had heard so much of and have seen referenced so often in other books. The new information regarding Neanderthal lineage and that of related groups, such as the Denisovans, shed so much invaluable light on their history (and some big surprises too) that a book specifically discussing this research in depth is well worth the read for anyone interested in human origins.

Author's candor is refreshing, but book is

The author's candor is refreshing, but it seems that the book serves more to promote the author's glory than to tell us about Neanderthal Man. Be prepared for it to be heavy on molecular genetics, chemistry, laboratory techniques, and ivory tower power-politics rather than on illuminating tales about our ancient ancestors and Neanderthals.

Excellent, human-scale, book about science

What made the experience of listening to Neanderthal Man the most enjoyable?

The author (& protagonist/narrator) made the hard science in the book very easy to listen to. He interweaves the drama & the process of science with the personal ambitions of scientists, annals of his own life & career. It all makes the science portion exciting, without the reader having to know all of the details he goes over. The narration is excellent. And I found it hard to put down my iPod throughout (thereby accumulating lots of podcasts, science-centric & otherwise, that I could enjoy when the book was done).

Interesting Stuff

This book is just fascinating. It is a compelling biography of an important scientist's quest to unlock the mystery of pre-history. Although the subject matter is highly complex, the author provides a reasonably accessible explanation of what he and his team are doing and what it means. In other words, you don't need an advanced degree in biology to enjoy the book.

The findings about our nearest relative are interesting and surprising. You have probably read about the results in the popular press, but I won't spoil the results.

It's also interesting to hear about the behind the scenes struggles as Svante and his team try to gain access to bones, and worry about other, less careful, scientists beating them to the punch.

Overall, the book was highly enjoyable, and I will be looking for additional compelling developments as the science advances.

Interesting but very little about Neanderthals.

I did enjoy the science behind what lead up to the discoveries and the importance of being careful about contamining the DNA. When he threw in information about his sex life of being bisexual and stealing a co-workers wife, I lost interest. No one cares about your sex life. I wish the author stayed focused on the science and didn't give such a personal history of himself. That was really my only complaint, it didn't belong and added nothing to the discoveries he made. I did finish it and thought it was very interesting if a little egotistical at time. I still recommend it but listen to at an increased speed.

A Genetic jigsaw Puzzle

I found this most interesting and fun book to read. It is written in the first person just as if Svanto Paabo was sitting beside the reader telling the story of how he mapped the genome. Some technical information is provided and explained but mostly he tells about himself and his colleagues and their work. They way the book is written keeps the reader engaged and enthralled with the story. The book reads like a memoir rather than a scientific book.

The story starts in 1981, when Paabo, a Swedish graduate student, became obsessed with ancient DNA. He extracted DNA from Egyptian mummies; at that time no one had any idea the desiccated flesh of mummies contained any genetic material. In this book Paabo reveals the three decades of research that led to the mapping of the Neanderthal genome. Toward the end of the book Paabo reveals in passing that he is the secret extramarital son of Sune Bergstrom, a well known biochemist and co-winner of the Nobel Prize.

The book is well written and is easy to read; all scientific technical information is simply explained for the lay person. I learned a lot about the Neanderthal and about DNA from the book as well as the workings of higher education politics. Dennis Holland does a good job narrating the book.

Great personal stories in between science

This book provided a lot of technical detail about mtDNA, which was very enjoyable and educational. I am more familiar with nuclear DNA and was happy to gain a more in depth understanding of mtDNA while enjoying a great story. More surprising though was the amount of personal detail shared by the author. I loved his candid and matter-of-fact way of writing about his personal relationships and his interpretation of the politics that accompany academic competition. Great read.

Fascinating - very in depth account

This book is fascinating but was probably not the best book for me in this area. It is a very detailed and well written account of the science behind the understanding of the Neanderthal genetic code and also an interesting autobiography of the scientist who lead the work. My level of understanding in this area is A level Biology followed by a zoology degree, admittedly 30 years ago, and I was often at full stretch to try to keep up with the arguments presented here. For me an abridged version would have worked better but if you want to get the complete picture and have the scientific knowledge to understand it you'll find all you could wish for here. The narrator is well matched to this type of material.

Fascinating

Although it seems strange to put an American narrator to speak for a Sweden author; the intonation, silences, we're perfect. I loved the narrator's voice! The story is a fascinating inside to the life of a scientist in love with what he does.

Amazing story

This is such an amazing story but such a shame that the publishers couldn’t find someone who could pronounce some technical terms correctly. It’s quaternary NOT quarternary. A couple of similar gaffs spoiled the flow of an excellent story.

Tedious but excellent science

Precise and technical account marred by the authors ego and desire to include aspects of his personal life and sexuality which were irrelevant . This significance and scope of his scientific endeavour overcomes this I am glad that I persevered with this account I respected the work this team undertook .

the best book ever!

What made the experience of listening to Neanderthal Man the most enjoyable?

Pääbo is not only brilliant but funny and I have listened to the book twice in the last day and looked through the paper book again. This book taught me a lot and even made me laugh a fair amount.

What does Dennis Holland bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

It was great to get to listen to the book also since I could write a report on the subject at the same time as refresh my knowledge on the subject. Really nice to be able to do other things, like eat Nutella and think, while learning more also.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

twice. I didn't even sleep.

Any additional comments?

You just can't help getting obsessed with this subject. You just want to learn more and more.

Book with great storytelling

Such a cool way to tell the discovery of how the the scientific community has worked and progressed in discovering the history of the Neanderthals and us.

Fascinating!

I read this after it was recommended to my daughter at a university presentation about studying anthropology and was so impressed I wanted to find out more. I’ve always been fascinated by prehistoric history and while I don’t have a good understanding of biology, it was written so well that I could access the ideas. The author is generous in his acknowledgment of others’ contributions and I enjoyed the personal touches which I felt gave the narrative a holistic human perspective.

Equally scientific and autobiographical

It’s fascinating to follow the development of such a carrer/project from beginning to « end ».
The scientific subject is thoroughly discussed but the practical aspects of the project development are given equal attention.
The book is able to successfully switch between the general chronological narrative and the theoretical and technical subjects while keeping a sense of excitement and anticipation thanks to its autobiographic style. Although at times intimate details about the author’s personnal life were superfluous in my opinion.
The narration was excellent.

Human endevour behind Neathandal science.

Great insight into the trials and tribulations of peacing togetger the genetic story we share with our big brained, successful and ultimately enigmatic ancestors .

Fantastic story of a real scientist

A great read, no popular science book I've read has had such close attention paid to practicalities