All modern humans originated in northern
Botswana, study says
Homo sapiens is the only remaining human species
to which all modern human beings belong. It means “wise men” in Latin. Anatomically,
modern humans seem to have appeared in Africa about 200,000 years ago.
They migrated from their homeland around 120,000 years ago to the northeast and southwest.
But until recently, it wasn’t clear exactly where in Africa they originated from.
Now, researchers found that south of the Greater Zambezi River Basin, which
includes northern Botswana and parts of Namibia and Zimbabwe, is the area where
our ancestors of Homo sapiens began. How did they find it?
Mitochondrial DNA is the physical embodiment
of the mitochondrial genome, the sum total of genetic information encoded in
the mitochondrion. It is then regarded as a time capsule of our ancestors as it
accumulates changes slowly over generations. By comparing mitogenome from
people in different regions, researchers can find information on how closely
they are related.
Sounds like an enormous work of backward
science, doesn’t it?
Enjoy reading the article and learn how homo
sapience dispersed from Africa.
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