09.28.11
The evidence for Homo sp. being polytypic all along
The evidence for Homo sp. being polytypic all along By HELGA VIERICH
Added: Saturday, 24 September 2011 at 9:37 AM
http://richarddawkins.net/discussions/643222-the-evidence-for-homo-sp-being-polytypic-all-along
Our general anthropological consensus is that modern humanity can trace most of its DNA to a small number of individuals who probably lived in subsaharan Africa between 200,000 and 150,000 years ago. Furthermore, there is broad agreement not only on the issue of when Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH) emerged out of the hodge-podge of genetic diversity that was evident in the genus Homo for millions of years, but where: what has been controversial until now is whether any of the other subspecies or, more correctly, local variants of a larger polytypic species of “archaic” Homo, made any subsequent contributions to our species after we became AMH.
That controversy is now being stilled. The evidence for gene flow right across the whole of the Homo sp. spectrum, whether it was through “intermarriage” or behind bushes, has become substantial, if not overwhelming. This does not really surprise me. If the giant North American Wapiti, imported to New Zealand, hybridized freely with the tiny Scottish Red Deer when the later was also imported to the same NZ forests, then we ought not be too shocked at the thought of Neanderthals being able to contribute a few genes to the stream of humanity (albeit, AMH, whoop-dee-do) that left Africa in the years following the eruption of Mount Toba.
What are the implications of this? I should think, for starters, that it is now very likely that all our real local differences are predominantly cultural ones.
Darwiniana » Out of Africa, end of speciation said,
September 30, 2011 at 11:16 am
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