Where Did Modern Humans Go after Africa?
2024-04-04
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1A new study offers an answer to the question of where early humans traveled after leaving Africa.
2Scientists say modern humans, or Homo sapiens, developed in Africa more than 300,000 years ago.
3Early humans then left Africa between 60,000 to 70,000 years ago.
4Researchers said in a recently released study that these groups of hunter-gatherers appear to have stayed for thousands of years in an area of the Middle East.
5That area includes modern-day Iran, southeastern Iraq and northeastern Saudi Arabia.
6The early humans went on to settle all of Asia and Europe starting about 45,000 years ago.
7The scientists based their findings on genomic data taken from ancient DNA and from the genes of modern people.
8Scientists combined that data with paleoecological evidence.
9That is ancient evidence that suggests what the environment in these areas would have been like long ago.
10The evidence suggested the area in the Middle East would have been good for early humans.
11The researchers called this area a "hub" for these early people before they continued to more distant places.
12At the time, they numbered perhaps only in the thousands.
13The study was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
14Michael Petraglia is an anthropologist and a study co-author.
15He said the study "is a story about us and our history - our goal was to unravel some of the mystery about our evolution and our worldwide dispersal."
16"The combination of genetic and paleoecological models allowed us to predict the location where early human populations first" lived as soon as they left Africa, Petraglia added.
17These people lived in small groups of hunter-gatherers, the researchers said.
18The hub location offered several environmental settings, from forests to grasslands, changing over time between dry and wet periods.
19There would have been many resources available, with evidence showing the hunting of wild gazelle, sheep and goat, Petraglia said.
20They would have eaten "plants and small- to large-sized game. Hunter-gatherer groups seemed to have practiced a seasonal lifestyle, living in the lowlands in the cooler months and in the mountainous regions in the warmer months," Petraglia said.
21The people living in the hub at the time had dark skin and dark hair.
22Many might have looked like the Gumuz or Anuak people now living in parts of East Africa, said Luca Pagani, one of the study's writers.
23Later, they dispersed in different directions beyond the hub and the genetic differences developed between present-day East Asians and Europeans, the researchers said.
24The study used modern and ancient genomic data for European and Asian people.
25The researchers found a way to disentangle the extensive genetic mixing of populations that has taken place since then.
26There were earlier smaller dispersals of Homo sapiens out of Africa before the most important migration 60,000 to 70,000 years ago.
27But the study said these appear to have been dead ends, meaning they produced nothing.
28Homo sapiens was not the first human species to live outside of Africa - including the area surrounding the hub.
29Ancient intermixing by modern humans has left small traces of Neanderthal in the DNA of modern non-Africans.
30The lead writer of the study, Leonardo Vallini, said there is evidence Neanderthals lived in the area "before the arrival of Homo sapiens, so the hub may well have been where that interaction took place."
31Homo sapiens is the scientific name for today's humans. It means "wise man."
32I'm Jill Robbins.
1A new study offers an answer to the question of where early humans traveled after leaving Africa. 2Scientists say modern humans, or Homo sapiens, developed in Africa more than 300,000 years ago. Early humans then left Africa between 60,000 to 70,000 years ago. 3Researchers said in a recently released study that these groups of hunter-gatherers appear to have stayed for thousands of years in an area of the Middle East. That area includes modern-day Iran, southeastern Iraq and northeastern Saudi Arabia. The early humans went on to settle all of Asia and Europe starting about 45,000 years ago. 4The scientists based their findings on genomic data taken from ancient DNA and from the genes of modern people. Scientists combined that data with paleoecological evidence. That is ancient evidence that suggests what the environment in these areas would have been like long ago. 5The evidence suggested the area in the Middle East would have been good for early humans. The researchers called this area a "hub" for these early people before they continued to more distant places. At the time, they numbered perhaps only in the thousands. 6The study was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Michael Petraglia is an anthropologist and a study co-author. He said the study "is a story about us and our history - our goal was to unravel some of the mystery about our evolution and our worldwide dispersal." 7"The combination of genetic and paleoecological models allowed us to predict the location where early human populations first" lived as soon as they left Africa, Petraglia added. 8These people lived in small groups of hunter-gatherers, the researchers said. The hub location offered several environmental settings, from forests to grasslands, changing over time between dry and wet periods. 9There would have been many resources available, with evidence showing the hunting of wild gazelle, sheep and goat, Petraglia said. 10They would have eaten "plants and small- to large-sized game. Hunter-gatherer groups seemed to have practiced a seasonal lifestyle, living in the lowlands in the cooler months and in the mountainous regions in the warmer months," Petraglia said. 11The people living in the hub at the time had dark skin and dark hair. Many might have looked like the Gumuz or Anuak people now living in parts of East Africa, said Luca Pagani, one of the study's writers. 12Later, they dispersed in different directions beyond the hub and the genetic differences developed between present-day East Asians and Europeans, the researchers said. 13The study used modern and ancient genomic data for European and Asian people. The researchers found a way to disentangle the extensive genetic mixing of populations that has taken place since then. 14There were earlier smaller dispersals of Homo sapiens out of Africa before the most important migration 60,000 to 70,000 years ago. But the study said these appear to have been dead ends, meaning they produced nothing. 15Homo sapiens was not the first human species to live outside of Africa - including the area surrounding the hub. Ancient intermixing by modern humans has left small traces of Neanderthal in the DNA of modern non-Africans. 16The lead writer of the study, Leonardo Vallini, said there is evidence Neanderthals lived in the area "before the arrival of Homo sapiens, so the hub may well have been where that interaction took place." 17Homo sapiens is the scientific name for today's humans. It means "wise man." 18I'm Jill Robbins. 19Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by Reuters. 20__________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22genome - n. the genetic material possessed by a living thing 23paleoecological - adj. related to an ancient environment 24unravel - v. to take apart; to show hidden parts of something 25evolution - n. the development and change of living things that takes place over a long period 26disperse - v. to spread out over a wide area 27allow - v. to permit or let happen 28location -n. the place where something is 29game - n. animals that are normally hunted for food or sport 30disentangle - v. to order what is disordered and hard to understand 31dead-end - n. a place with no outlet; something that produces nothing