Mysterious Ancestors: Scientists Just Uncovered a Shocking Secret About Human Origins

[erronis]

https://scitechdaily.com/mysterious-ancestors-scientists-just-uncovered-a-shocking-secret-about-human-origins/



Scientists have uncovered evidence that modern humans emerged from two long-separated ancestral groups, not just one.

This genetic reunion reshaped our species, introducing key traits that may have influenced brain function. Unlike Neanderthal interbreeding, this ancient event contributed a massive portion of our DNA.

A New Perspective on Human Ancestry

Using advanced analysis based on full genome sequences, researchers from the University of Cambridge have found evidence that modern humans are the result of a genetic mixing event between two ancient populations that diverged around 1.5 million years ago. About 300,000 years ago, these groups came back together, with one group contributing 80% of the genetic makeup of modern humans and the other contributing 20%.

For the last two decades, the prevailing view in human evolutionary genetics has been that Homo sapiens first appeared in Africa around 200,000 to 300,000 years ago, and descended from a single lineage. However, these latest results, reported in the journal Nature Genetics, suggest a more complex story.

A More Complex Origin Story

“The question of where we come from is one that has fascinated humans for centuries,” said first author Dr Trevor Cousins from Cambridge’s Department of Genetics. “For a long time, it’s been assumed that we evolved from a single continuous ancestral lineage, but the exact details of our origins are uncertain.”

“Our research shows clear signs that our evolutionary origins are more complex, involving different groups that developed separately for more than a million years, then came back to form the modern human species,” said co-author Professor Richard Durbin, also from the Department of Genetics.

. . .

[Think. Again.]

1. Thank goodness it didn't effect the rest of the animal world.

"This genetic reunion reshaped our species, introducing key traits that may have influenced brain function."

[GreenWave]

2. So it is looking like the ancients loved to party!