Humanity's forgotten return to Africa revealed in DNA
20:00 03 February 2014 by Catherine Brahic
For similar stories, visit the Neanderthals , Genetics and Human Evolution Topic Guides
Call it humanity's unexpected U-turn.
One of the biggest events in the history of our species is the exodus out of Africa some 65,000 years ago , the start of Homo sapiens' long march across the world.
Now a study of southern African genes shows that, unexpectedly, another migration took western Eurasian DNA back to the very southern tip of the continent 3000 years ago.
According to conventional thinking, the Khoisan tribes of southern Africa , have lived in near-isolation from the rest of humanity for thousandsof years.
Ancient lineages
"These are very special, isolated populations, carrying what are probably the most ancient lineages in human populations today," says David Reich of Harvard University.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24988-humanitys-forgotten-return-to-africa-revealed-in-dna.html?utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=SOC&utm_campaign=hoot&cmpid=SOC%7CNSNS%7C2013-GLOBAL-hoot
20:00 03 February 2014 by Catherine Brahic
For similar stories, visit the Neanderthals , Genetics and Human Evolution Topic Guides
Call it humanity's unexpected U-turn.
One of the biggest events in the history of our species is the exodus out of Africa some 65,000 years ago , the start of Homo sapiens' long march across the world.
Now a study of southern African genes shows that, unexpectedly, another migration took western Eurasian DNA back to the very southern tip of the continent 3000 years ago.
According to conventional thinking, the Khoisan tribes of southern Africa , have lived in near-isolation from the rest of humanity for thousandsof years.
Ancient lineages
"These are very special, isolated populations, carrying what are probably the most ancient lineages in human populations today," says David Reich of Harvard University.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24988-humanitys-forgotten-return-to-africa-revealed-in-dna.html?utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=SOC&utm_campaign=hoot&cmpid=SOC%7CNSNS%7C2013-GLOBAL-hoot
