About the origin of our species

Experts from the Museum of Natural History, the Francis Crick Institute and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena have teamed up to address the different meanings of ancestors in the evolution of our species Homo sapiens.

Most of us are fascinated by our ancestors and, by extension, by the ancestors of the human species. We regularly see titles such as “Newly Discovered Human Ancestor” or “New Fossil Changes Everything We Thought About Our Ancestors” and yet the meanings of words like ancestor and ancestor are rarely discussed in detail. In the new paper, published in Nature, experts examine our current understanding of how modern human ancestors around the world can be traced to the distant past and what ancestors go through our time travel.

Co-author at the Natural History Museum, Prof. Chris Stringer, said: “Some of our ancestors will have lived in groups or populations that can be identified in the fossil record, while very little will be known about others. Over the next decade, the growing recognition of our complex origins should extend the geographical focus of paleoanthropological fieldwork to regions previously considered peripheral to our evolution, such as Central and West Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. “

The study identified three key phases in our ancestors, which are surrounded by major questions and which will be frontiers in future research. From the global expansion of modern humans about 40-60 thousand years ago and the last known contacts with archaic groups such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, to an African origin of modern human diversity about 60-60 years ago. 300,000 years ago, and finally the complex separation of modern human ancestors from archaic human groups about 300,000 to 1 million years ago.

Scientists claim that currently no specific time can be identified when modern human ancestry was limited to a limited place of birth and that known patterns of the first appearance of anatomical or behavioral traits that are often used to define Homo sapiens falls within a range of evolutionary histories.

Co-author Pontus Skoglund of the Francis Crick Institute said: “Contrary to many people’s beliefs, no genetic or fossil record has so far revealed a definite time and place for the origin of our species. Such a moment, when most of our ancestors were found in a small geographical region and the features we associate with our species appeared, may not have existed. For now, it would be useful to move away from the idea of ​​a single time and place of origin. “

“As a result, the major emerging questions relate to the mechanisms that led and sustained this human patchwork, with all its ancestral threads, in time and space,” said co-author Eleanor Scerri of the Pan Evolution Research Group. African from the Max Planck Institute. for the Science of Human History. “Understanding the relationship between fractured habitats and changing human niches will undoubtedly play a key role in resolving these questions, clarifying the demographic patterns that best fit the genetic and paleoanthropological record.”

The success of direct genetic analyzes so far highlights the importance of an older and older genetic record. This will require continuous technological improvements in the recovery of ancient DNA (DNA), biomolecular screening of fragmented fossils to find unrecognized human material, broader searches for sedimentary DNA, and improvements in evolutionary information provided by ancient proteins. The interdisciplinary analysis of growing genetic, fossil and archaeological records will undoubtedly reveal many new surprises about the roots of modern human ancestors.

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About the Museum of Natural History

The Museum of Natural History is both a world center for scientific research and the most visited museum of natural history in Europe. With a vision of a future in which both humans and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing the needs of humanity with those of the natural world.

It is the custodian of one of the most important scientific collections in the world, with over 80 million copies. The scale of this collection allows researchers around the world to document how species have and continue to respond to environmental changes – which is vital to predict what may happen in the future and to inform future policies and plans to help the planet.

The museum’s 300 scientists continue to be one of the largest groups in the world studying and allowing research into every aspect of the natural world. Their science contributes critical data to help the global fight to save the planet’s future from major threats of climate change and biodiversity loss until solutions are found such as the sustainable extraction of natural resources.

The museum uses its enormous global coverage and influence to fulfill its mission to create advocates for the planet – to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We receive over five million visitors each year; Our digital production reaches hundreds of thousands of people in over 200 countries every month, and our touring exhibitions have been seen by approximately 30 million people in the last 10 years.

About the Francis Crick Institute

The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology that underlies health and disease. His work helps to understand why the disease develops and to translate findings into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections and neurodegenerative diseases.

An independent organization, its founding partners are Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK, Wellcome, UCL (University College London), Imperial College London and King’s College London.

Crick was formed in 2015, and in 2016 moved to a state-of-the-art building in central London, bringing together 1,500 scientists and support staff working collaboratively across disciplines, making it the largest research unit. biomedical under one roof in Europe.
http: // crick.needle.UK/

About the Pan-African Development Research Group

The Pan-African Research Group on Evolution, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, is an independent research group dedicated to investigating the origins of our species and the parallel transformation of environments and ecosystems. The group’s work reveals the human story from the perspective of poorly researched regions and environments, combining new data and developing new methods to understand population movement patterns, cultural changes, ecological adaptations, diseases and interactions with hominins now extinct. This research feeds on solutions to current global challenges, contributing to past lessons to find sustainable solutions to the duality of biodiversity and climate crises.

The pan-African research group was formed in early 2019 under the Lise Meitner pilot program of excellence of the Max Planck company.