The human race as we know it today emerged as a result of the interaction of several populations in Africa over hundreds of thousands of years, according to a recent study by McGill University.
Although it is agreed that the human race originated in Africa, many doubts remain unanswered about where, when and why.
So a team of researchers led by McGill University and the University of California-Javis investigated and published their findings in the journal Nature.
It compared the DNA of 290 people living in five regions of Africa with the aim of determining which interconnections occurred in the past million years.
Scientists have determined that humans lived in different parts of Africa, migrating and mixing with each other from one place to another over hundreds of thousands of years.
These discoveries cast doubt on other theories that considered that humans evolved from the hybridization of primitive species in Africa or Eurasia.
Instead, they tend toward a natural development over time.
“We used a new algorithm to quickly test hundreds of potential scenarios,” said study co-author, McGill University professor Simon Gravel, in a statement.
He continues, “The genes that differ between different populations in different parts of the continent over thousands of years are the best explanation for the genetic differences we see in modern humans today.”
This finding in particular could explain the genetic variation of between 1 and 4% observed among modern humans.
