New Study Challenges Prevailing Theories of Human Evolution
A new study published in the journal Nature challenges prevailing theories about human evolution. The study suggests that modern Homo sapiens stemmed from multiple genetically diverse populations across Africa rather than a single ancestral population. The research analyzed genetic data from present-day African populations, including 44 newly sequenced genomes from the Nama group of southern Africa. The findings indicate that the earliest detectable split in early human populations occurred between 120,000 to 135,000 years ago, after long periods of genetic intermixing, and that subsequent migrations created a weakly structured genetic stem.[0] This research implies that contributions from archaic hominins were unlikely to have significantly affected Homo sapiens’ evolution.[0]
The study's authors suggest that there were humans living in different regions of Africa, migrating from one region to another and mixing with one another over a period of hundreds of thousands of years.[1] This multiregional hypothesis argues that before our species left Africa for Europe, there was continuous gene flow between at least two different populations.[2] The researchers included newly sequenced genomes from 44 modern Nama individuals from southern Africa, an Indigenous population known to carry exceptional levels of genetic diversity compared to other modern groups.
The findings support the theory that all individuals today can trace their ancestry back to at least two distinct populations present in Africa around one million years ago.[3] The researchers suggest that multiple ancestral groups from various regions of Africa played a role in the emergence of Homo sapiens, migrating and mixing with one another over hundreds of thousands of years. According to the study, Homo sapiens evolved through a patchwork process involving the migration and interbreeding of various ancestral groups from different parts of Africa over hundreds of thousands of years.
The continent of Africa is where the human race first emerged and evolved into diverse forms.[4] As a result, Africa boasts the greatest genetic diversity and population structure among humans, with non-African populations essentially reflecting a portion of the genetic variation found on the African landmass.[4] African genomes exhibit a blend of diverse ancestries, each with distinct evolutionary backgrounds.
The study's authors used a new algorithm to rapidly test hundreds of possible scenarios.[1] Those with gene flow back and forth between populations in various parts of the continent over the course of hundreds of thousands of years provided a much better explanation of the genetic variation we see today.[1] The authors included some Eurasian genetic material to include the traces of colonial incursions and mixing in Africa.[1]
The possibility has been raised that our species might have interbred with “ghost lineages” in Africa which are ancient relatives of modern humans that are currently unknown in the fossil record. On the other hand, this presents an intriguing prospect of having some ancestral lineages from Africa that may be considered as “ghost lineages”. There are ancient Sapien relatives whose fossil records are yet to be discovered.[5] As we discover additional ancient DNA and decipher genomes, we will progressively incorporate fresh fragments into the puzzle of modern humans.[5]
The new results upend previous suggestions that our species may have interbred with extinct relatives in Africa who had significantly different anatomy from us. Additionally, it discards the notion that humans originated from a solitary river that diverged from our nearest kin.[6]
0. “New DNA Research Changes Origin of Human Species” SciTechDaily, 18 May. 2023, https://scitechdaily.com/new-dna-research-changes-origin-of-human-species/
1. “Algorithm leads to new theory of human origins in Africa” Futurity: Research News, 18 May. 2023, https://www.futurity.org/human-origins-africa-2920702/
2. “The First Humans Out of Africa Weren't Quite Who We Thought” ScienceAlert, 19 May. 2023, https://www.sciencealert.com/the-first-humans-out-of-africa-werent-quite-who-we-thought
3. “Where did modern humans come from? New study adds twist to theory of our evolution” India Today, 19 May. 2023, https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/no-all-humans-didnt-come-from-africa-new-study-throws-twist-on-evolution-2381294-2023-05-19
4. “Study: Blending pairing of alleles has moulded human ancestry” ThePrint, 19 May. 2023, https://theprint.in/science/study-blending-pairing-of-alleles-has-moulded-human-ancestry/1584520
5. “Modern Humans Emerged From Mixing of Closely-Related Ancient Human Branches | Weather.com” The Weather Channel, 19 May. 2023, https://weather.com/en-IN/india/science/news/2023-05-19-modern-humans-came-from-multiple-closely-related-ancient-humans
6. “Modern humans arose after 2 distinct groups in Africa mated over tens of thousands of years” Livescience.com, 17 May. 2023, https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/modern-humans-arose-after-2-distinct-groups-in-africa-mated-over-tens-of-thousands-of-years
