Charles Mann takes us on a journey of scientific exploration. We learn that the Indian development of modern corn was one of the most complex feats of genetic engineering ever performed. That the Great Plains are a third smaller today than they were in 1700 because the Indians who maintained them by burning died. And that the Amazon rain forest may be largely a human artifact.

"The Great Journey tells the story of one of archaeology's great controversies: How, where, when, and why did human beings take the first steps in their journey to populate North America? In this new edition updating the debates and discoveries that have occurred since the late 1980s, internationally renowned archaeologist Brian Fagan fills us in on the latest archaeological findings on both sides of the Bering Strait. Fagan sets forth different scenarios...

"The history of North America, from Christopher Columbus to the present day, is a chaotic struggle for ownership of the land. This text will address questions such as the history of native communities that were displaced or conquered, and even further back to how Native North, Central and South Americans came to these continents in the first place. Historical facts are mainly supported through archaeological findings."--Publisher information.

Presents the story of Kennewick Man, one of the oldest and most complete skeletons found in America near the Columbia River in Washington.