The Human Past

What Hacker News says

1. throwup238Jan 2026
   I don’t read popsci but if you’re interested in a rigorous treatment I’d recommend The Human Career by Klein which has the broad overview and The Human Past edited by Scarre which is more of a textbook.

   I mostly just read the papers as they are published but I’ve heard good things about those two books (they’re on my reading list but I haven’t read enough to form an opinion)

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2. victor106Mar 2023
   For this interested in this topic, highly recommend the book: Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past
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3. NelsonMinarOct 2019
   If this kind of stuff interests you, "Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past" by David Reich is interesting and very up to date.

   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35749414-who-we-are-and-...

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4. zone411Oct 2018
   If you're interested in the ancient DNA, I highly recommend "Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past" by David Reich.
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5. faizshahFeb 2015
   I would throw The Human Past, Mathematics from the Birth of Numbers, and US Army Survival guide into the mix. I also think there should be more of a focus on construction/architecture and agriculture/horticulture. A book containing some facts about earth science and especially on the unique geographic features of each region of the world would be necessary. I would also add a book on common plants and their uses and a book on human health/nutrition.

   I think people are focusing too much on the luxuries of complex civilization. If you're at the point where you have to rebuild civilization it would be more necessary to focus on building a good foundation i.e focusing on improving your food, water, shelter, medicine, and social systems. I think the book Mathematics from the Birth of Numbers would be a good enough foundation to get started on physics, mechanics, and math.

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