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Europe was the birthplace of mankind, not Africa, scientists find
- steve_adams_86 8y agoInteresting, but what's to say we won't find older hominid bones in Africa next year? Is it wise to be so certain that Europe was the birthplace of mankind based on a single discovery? Really, the same goes for Africa. Why are we deducing that each oldest bone means _that_ is where humans came from?
- s_dev 8y agoI guess we'll never "know" but rather wherever the oldest human bones/remains are is the most likely knowable starting place of humanity. If the evidence leads us to somewhere else we'll have to keep updating the theory.
- INTPenis 8y agoAlso who's to say someone didn't carry the bones to Europe as relics? Bones simply surviving for thousands of years is amazing but unless they're found deep inside a known burial ground we really have no idea if that was where they became bones.
- TorKlingberg 8y agoAlso, when we say the birth of "mankind", do we mean Homo Sapiens, or the Homo genus as a whole?
- inks 8y agoThe earliest Homosapien bones were discovered in Israel: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/controversial-fossil-hints-homo-sapiens-blazed-a-trail-out-of-africa-earlier-than-thought/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/controversial-fos... Though it’s still not a disprovement of the OoA theory but it places the time scale for homosapien much earlier.
- dkural 8y agoThis is misleading & false. Genetic evidence has conclusively proven our roots are in Africa. While the bone finds are real; the entire interpretation and situating of those finds are incorrect. (I do human genomics for a living). Their interpretation of geology is also incorrect. The saharan sand comes via winds & continues to do so; making the Mediterranean soil very fertile: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/03/26/photos-dust-from-the-sahara-has-turned-the-snow-orange-in-russia-and-eastern-europe/?utm_term=.dda3ecf2937b https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/...
- PunchTornado 8y ago> Genetic evidence has conclusively proven our roots are in Africa No, it did not. I didn't see any proof of that. Or is your proof the fact that you work with the human genome and we must believe you? The whole African origin theory rests on the fact that the oldest bones are there and so the Homo erectus came from there. If they would find homo erectus bones that are 1 million years older in China then the theory will change.
- orwin 8y agoYeah, but their other Science headlines are weird: - "Ancestor of all living birds survived asteroid strike because it couldn't fly" It's wrong, on so many levels, I don't know where i should start. And since it's the only science article on a subject i have knowledge on, i'm now wary of the other article, as i should be.
- goatlover 8y agoI don't see how our roots are not in Africa. Hominids originated there. Maybe some of the species branched off on other continents, but their ancestors still migrated out of Africa. Is this even a controversy?
- goodpass 8y ago> No, it did not. I didn't see any proof of that. Or is your proof the fact that you work with the human genome and we must believe you? I mean, I certainly trust an expert more than someone with an unhealthy amount of distrust in experts..
- tscangussu 8y agoIs Evolution still a thing? Who cares where humans came from. Elon Musk will merge you with an AI if you can afford that and you will be part of the new Techno sapiens species.