21 Apr 2026
What if one of our oldest ideas about ancestry is simply wrong? David Reich argues that ancient DNA has exposed the myth of purity and uncovered a far messier history of who we are and where we came from.

❍ Subscribe to The Well on YouTube: https://bit.ly/welcometothewell

Over the last 15 years, data on ancient DNA has upended the old story of human history. In this full-length interview, geneticist David Reich explains how new findings have challenged the family tree model of ancestry and revealed a past shaped by migration, interbreeding, disappearance, and constant change.

From Neanderthals and Denisovans to the myths of purity that still shape modern identity, Reich shows how the last decade of research has rewritten what we thought we knew about human origins. The result is a much stranger, more dynamic picture of the human story, one that forces us to rethink ancestry, evolution, and the deep history of who we are.

Read the full video transcript: https://bigthink.com/videos/your-ance…

[…]