Since the discovery of the double helix by Francis Crick, James Watson and Rosalind Franklin in the 1950s, human knowledge of DNA and genetics has grown almost immeasurably.

We now know that genes affect every aspect of our lives, from our appearance, our health and even our personality. But more than this, our genes are a living document of our evolutionary past, an ancient document that, if read properly, can reveal almost everything about how we came to be how we are.

In this episode, we’re joined by the evolutionary biologist and multi-million selling author Richard Dawkins to speak about his latest book The Genetic Book of the Dead: A Darwinian Reverie.

He tells us how different species of animals hit on the same evolutionary strategies despite being separated by multiple continents, how natural selection doesn’t necessarily always follow the perfect path and how a scientist of the future may one day be able to read the genetic code of any living animal like a book to uncover its entire evolutionary past.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices