How Early Humans migrated to Europe

The first humans appeared in Africa and then spread to various parts of the earth about 60 thousand years ago. But which route they take to get to in Europe? The question is now answered by Martin B. Richards, a lecturer at the University of Huddersfield, UK.

Professor Richards is a pioneer in the field of archaeogenetics  He uses DNA evidence to the study of human origins, comparing data from modern samples around the world as well as samples of fossil teeth and skeleton. The information gathered led to the description of patterns of human migration and early development of a community.

Thousands of years ago, humans migrated out of Africa. Yet exactly where they migrated to first and what paths they used has long remained speculation. Now, scientists are hunting down the exact routes of this ancient, human migration, allowing us to learn a little bit more about our past ancestors. (Picture from: http://www.scienceworldreport.com/)

In an article in PLoS ONE this week, Richards handed new evidence indicates that humans migrated to Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum but before the Neolithic period. It gives a clearer picture of how humans evolved at that time.

In research conducted with a number of international researchers, Richards explores human migration from Africa by analyzing the pedigree of the three non-African maternal line. The researchers compared the genomes of intact mitochondrial DNA, which can trace the lineage of the mother, from the Arab and Near East, with a database containing hundreds of samples from Europe.

Evidence found shows the ancient lineage of the Arab sample. "Our research shows that the Arab region is the first step in a post modern humans spread throughout the world."

To conduct research on human migration, a specially built laboratory for studying the molecular biology and other separate laboratories to analyze ancient DNA. It was done to prevent the risk of cross-contamination between the two. "This work is similar to forensics but more complicated," said Richards. "The two laboratories should be made in a separate building." *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SCIENCEDAILY | KORAN TEMPO 4313]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.