Genetic and fossil records do not reveal any point where modern humans originated, researchers have discovered.
Experts from the museum, the Francis Crick Institute and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History are working together to unravel the different lineages of lineage in the evolution of our species, homo sapiens.
They argue that no specific time point can currently be identified when modern human ancestry was limited to a limited place of birth. The known patterns of the first appearance of anatomical or behavioral features often used to define H. sapiens fit into a series of evolutionary histories.
Their new article, published in Nature, discusses our current understanding of how modern human ancestors around the world can be traced back to the distant past, and which ancestors it went through on our journey back in time.
Prof Chris Stringer, co-author and researcher at the museum, says: ‘Some of our ancestors will have lived in groups or populations that can be identified in the fossil record, while very little will be known about others.
“Over the next decade, a growing understanding of our complex origins should expand the geographic focus to regions previously seen as peripheral to our evolution, such as Central and West Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.”
Three major stages in our ancestors are surrounded by big questions, including:
- the worldwide expansion of modern humans between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago and the last known contacts with archaic groups such as the Neanderthals and Denisovans
- an African origin of modern human diversity about 60,000 to 300,000 years ago
- the complex separation of modern human ancestors from archaic human groups about 300,000 to a million years ago
Co-author Pontus Skoglund of the Francis Crick Institute says: “Contrary to popular belief, the genetic or fossil record has not yet revealed a defined time and place for the origin of our species.
Such a time may not have existed, when most of our ancestors were found in a small geographic region and the traits we associate with our species appeared. For now it would be helpful to move away from the idea of one time and place of origin. ‘
Interdisciplinary analysis of the growing genetic, fossil and archaeological data will no doubt reveal many new surprises about the roots of modern human lineage.