WE ARE HER CHILDREN
African Eve African Eve
In 1987 a landmark study was published that helped end a dispute over
the origin of the species Homo sapiens. Before that study, there were
two schools of thought regarding the evolution of modern humans. Both
agreed that an earlier species, Homo erectus, migrated from Africa
approximately 1 to 2 million years ago. However, one group argues that
modern humans also evolved in Africa and migrated, causing the
extinction of Homo erectus. Another group argued that the dispersed
populations of Homo erectus evolved into Homo sapiens and later
inter-bred.
To resolve this conflict, researchers at the University of California,
Berkeley studied the DNA from 147 people from many different ethnic
groups, "including sub-Saharan Africans, Asians (from China, Vietnam,
Laos, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Tonga), Caucasians (from Europe,
North Africa, and the Middle East), aboriginal Australians, and
aboriginal New Guineans" (Powledge & Rose 39). Based on their
findings, the reaserchers developed a tree that showed how the different
groups are related genetically. That is, they developed a genealogy of
"maternal lineages" to show how modern humans are related to a
common ancestoral mother, or "Eve". Since the African population
showed a greater genetic diversity, the reasearchers proposed that
Africa was the likely birthplace of modern humans because more
diversity comes from older species.
The researchers then tried to determine when this ancestral Eve lived and
when Homo sapiens began to migrate out of Africa. They found that
Homo sapiens probably evolved some 140, 000 to 290,000 years ago,
and the migration from Africa probably occurred around 90,000 to
180,000 years ago.
Although the techniques of ancient DNA sequencing were not directly
used in this study, they were utilized in more recent studies that
supported the above conclusions. Ancient DNA has helped to solve
another mystery of the orgin of a modern species.
(cs.hmc.edu bio project)
African Eve African Eve
In 1987 a landmark study was published that helped end a dispute over
the origin of the species Homo sapiens. Before that study, there were
two schools of thought regarding the evolution of modern humans. Both
agreed that an earlier species, Homo erectus, migrated from Africa
approximately 1 to 2 million years ago. However, one group argues that
modern humans also evolved in Africa and migrated, causing the
extinction of Homo erectus. Another group argued that the dispersed
populations of Homo erectus evolved into Homo sapiens and later
inter-bred.
To resolve this conflict, researchers at the University of California,
Berkeley studied the DNA from 147 people from many different ethnic
groups, "including sub-Saharan Africans, Asians (from China, Vietnam,
Laos, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Tonga), Caucasians (from Europe,
North Africa, and the Middle East), aboriginal Australians, and
aboriginal New Guineans" (Powledge & Rose 39). Based on their
findings, the reaserchers developed a tree that showed how the different
groups are related genetically. That is, they developed a genealogy of
"maternal lineages" to show how modern humans are related to a
common ancestoral mother, or "Eve". Since the African population
showed a greater genetic diversity, the reasearchers proposed that
Africa was the likely birthplace of modern humans because more
diversity comes from older species.
The researchers then tried to determine when this ancestral Eve lived and
when Homo sapiens began to migrate out of Africa. They found that
Homo sapiens probably evolved some 140, 000 to 290,000 years ago,
and the migration from Africa probably occurred around 90,000 to
180,000 years ago.
Although the techniques of ancient DNA sequencing were not directly
used in this study, they were utilized in more recent studies that
supported the above conclusions. Ancient DNA has helped to solve
another mystery of the orgin of a modern species.
(cs.hmc.edu bio project)
AFRICAN
Eve...Mother of the World...
Eve...Mother of the World...