Yan Wong

The Ancestor's Tale

1. IDEA 1

   We travel back through time

   Dawkins and Wong tell the history of life as a pilgrimage backwards in time, starting with humans. As they go back, other species join the journey at the points where they share ancestors with us.

2. IDEA 2

   Shared ancestors are concestors

   The authors use the word concestor for the most recent common ancestor shared by two groups. Each meeting point is a rendezvous on the journey. Each concestor is the shared grandparent of every living member of the two groups.

3. IDEA 3

   Chimpanzees join first

   The authors describe the first rendezvous, where chimpanzees and bonobos join humans. Our shared ancestor lived around six million years ago. Humans are most closely related to these apes, which is why the journey starts with them.

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