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Published on: February 3, 2023
Human Dispersal Out of Africa: A Lasting Debate
Saioa López1, Lucy van Dorp2, Garrett Hellenthal1
1Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
Abstract:
Unraveling the first migrations of anatomically modern humans out of Africa has invoked great interest among researchers from a wide range of disciplines. Available fossil, archeological, and climatic data offer many hypotheses, and as such genetics, with the advent of genome-wide genotyping and sequencing techniques and an increase in the availability of ancient samples, offers another important tool for testing theories relating to our own history. In this review, we report the ongoing debates regarding how and when our ancestors left Africa, how many waves of dispersal there were and what geographical routes were taken. We explore the validity of each, using current genetic literature coupled with some of the key archeological findings.
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