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Modern human origins in Australasia: replacement or evolution?
1Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996-0720.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
|December 1, 1991
Summary
The study suggests modern humans in Australasia evolved from local archaic hominids, supporting the Multiregional Evolution hypothesis. Fossil evidence indicates a million-year genetic continuum in the region.
Area of Science:
- Paleoanthropology
- Human Evolution Studies
Background:
- Debate on modern human origins involves Replacement vs. Multiregional Evolution hypotheses.
- Replacement: H. sapiens originated in Africa, then spread.
- Multiregional: H. sapiens evolved from local archaic hominids globally.
Purpose of the Study:
- Test Replacement and Multiregional Evolution hypotheses.
- Analyze hominid mandibular remains from Sangiran, Java (1 Ma).
- Compare fossils with modern African and Australian aboriginal H. sapiens.
Main Methods:
- Non-metric trait comparison of fossil hominids and modern humans.
- Assessed groupings to differentiate between evolutionary models.
- Focused on Sangiran fossils, African, and Australian aboriginal populations.
Main Results:
- Plurality of non-metric features (8/17) linked Sangiran fossils to modern Australians.
- Only three features exclusively grouped modern humans from Africa and Australia.
- Data suggest morphological continuity in Australasia over 1 million years.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the Multiregional Evolution hypothesis.
- Suggests a long-standing genetic continuum in Australasia.
- Indicates local evolution of Homo sapiens in the region.