A genomic study by international researchers
has found that modern humans may not have emerged from a single place in
Africa as previously thought.
The researchers studied 2.3
million variable positions in the DNA of 220 individuals from southern
Africa – the largest genomic study ever conducted on the Khoisan.
They found the Khoisan split from the line of modern humans about 100 000 years ago, well before the out-of-Africa migration.
“There was a subsequent split
within the Khoisan 35 000 years ago,” said lead author Carina Schlebusch
from Wits University. “There is not one place that is the origin of
modern humans. We believe there was gene-flow between different
populations.”
Schlebusch said the whole of
Africa should be considered the place of origin of modern humans. They
had found genetic relationships in Khoisan groups in northern Namibia,
Angola and groups in SA.
She said there was a lot of ethnic
diversity in the Khoisan group, and through DNA analysis they could see
aspects of their history, which gave rise to the diversity.
The research paper was published on Thursday in the journal Science. - The Star
