Carleton Coon, an anthropologist at the University of Pennsylvania, presented the controversial idea that modern human races may have distinct origins. This theory suggests that certain groups of people could be derived from different ancestral stocks, leading to the implication that some races might be considered superior to others based on their origins.

In his book "A Short History of Nearly Everything," Bill Bryson discusses this perspective, highlighting the implications of Coon's ideas. The notion of racial superiority based on genetic lines raises ethical concerns and reflects outdated views on human evolution and diversity, which modern science continues to challenge.