Calay News
The traditional theory of the origin of modern humans is being challenged. For a long time, it was believed that Homo sapiens arose from a single ancestral population in eastern or southern Africa. However, a new study by scientists from Canada and the United States, using computer modeling and analysis of genetic data, suggests that they actually come from multiple ancestral groups dispersed in different regions of Africa.
According to this research, at least two populations coexisted in Africa for a million years before mixing and spreading across the continent. These groups were sufficiently distant from each other to exhibit small genetic differences. The lack of Homo sapiens fossils from the beginning of our evolutionary history has made it difficult to understand how they emerged and dispersed across Africa before spreading to the rest of the world.
The study suggests that multiple ancestral groups contributed to the emergence of Homo sapiens in a mosaic pattern, migrating and interbreeding over hundreds of thousands of years. The researchers used a computer model to create different population scenarios over time and observe which combinations could generate the genetic diversity observed in current populations.
These findings support the theory of multiple origins from a genetic perspective and complement previous research that also pointed to deep structure in our species. Although more research is still needed to confirm these conclusions, the study shows the complexity of the origin of modern humans and how multiple genetic and migratory factors contributed to our current diversity.
Technology plays a crucial role in these advances, enabling the analysis of large genetic datasets and the creation of sophisticated computer models. As technology advances, more research is expected to shed light on the evolutionary history of our species.
