Chapters: Ch 1 · Ch 2 · Ch 3 · Ch 4 · Ch 5
Human Genetics & Population History
Animal Origins (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8406CpdEnBQZCe_Q_BIiCw
Evolutionary biology and comparative genomics — phylogenomics, ancient DNA analysis, and the origins of animal body plans. The intersection of population genetics and deep evolutionary history: how we reconstruct the tree of life and trace lineage divergences through both morphology and molecular data. [→ world-history; genetics; biology]
New Archaeological Finds Prove INDIA Was the Crossroads of Human Evolution (YouTube, Watch History) Coverage of genetic and archaeological evidence suggesting India was a major refugium and mixing zone during the Out-of-Africa dispersal — with evidence that Andamanese and Australasian lineages diverged within or near the Indian subcontinent. The findings reshape the simple “coastal migration” model of human expansion across Asia. [→ world-history; genetics; india]
Let’s Talk About South Asian Genetics (YouTube, Watch History) Detailed video on the genetic history of South Asia — covering the three major ancestral components that combined to create modern South Asians: Ancient Ancestral South Indians (AASI, related to Andamanese), Iranian Neolithic farmers (arriving c. 5000–3000 BCE), and Steppe pastoralists (Yamnaya-related, arriving c. 2000 BCE with the Indo-Aryan languages). The ratio of these components varies systematically by caste, region, and language family. [→ world-history; genetics; india]
Why North East Indians Look “Korean” (YouTube, Watch History) Explainer on the genetics and migration history of Northeast India’s Tibeto-Burman-speaking populations — their predominantly East Asian ancestry, their migration routes through Southeast Asia and across the Himalayas, and their distinctness from the majority Indo-Aryan and Dravidian populations. The “look” question opens a genuine population genetics story about the peopling of Asia. [→ world-history; genetics; india]
Kalyan Varma (YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9SgIfbYVTNCMNcwBfAPNig
Indian wildlife photographer and filmmaker — documenting India’s biodiversity through long-form documentary work. His projects on Indian wolves, the Cauvery river ecosystem, and Pench/Kanha tigers combine ecology, conservation biology, and stunning natural history cinematography. [→ world-history; natural-history; india]