Who We Are and How We Got Here

Reich, whose lab produced much of the data, on what ancient DNA has done to prehistory — repeated mass migrations, populations that replaced others wholesale, and the collapse of the tidy models that preceded the evidence.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the “best history book” thread. The clearest example in the corpus of a new measurement technique rewriting a settled field inside a decade.

Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @typesfast asking “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025). The full recovered list lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet).

Connections

• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• Evolution · Science — the method.
• The Horse, the Wheel, and Language — the steppe migration argument that ancient DNA went on to test.