Archaeogenetics refers to the application of the techniques of molecular population genetics to the study of the human past. The topic has its origins in the study of human blood groups and the realisation that this classical genetic marker provides information about linguistic and ethnic groupings. Early work in this field included that of Ludwik and Hanka Hirszfeld, William Boyd and Arthur Mourant. From the 1960s onwards, Luca Cavalli-Sforza used classical genetic markers to examine the prehistoric population of Europe, culminating in the publication of The History and Geography of Human Genes in 1994.