Out of Eden: The Peopling of the WorldIn a brilliant synthesis of genetic, archaeological, linguistic and climatic data, Oppenheimer challenges current thinking with his claim that there was only one successful migration out of Africa. In 1988 Newsweek headlined the startling discovery that everyone alive on the earth today can trace their maternal DNA back to one woman who lived in Africa 150,000 years ago. It was thought that modern humans populated the world through a series of migratory waves from their African homeland. Now an even more radical view has emerged, that the members of just one group are the ancestors of all non-Africans now alive, and that this group crossed the mouth of the Red Sea a mere 85,000 years ago. It means that not only is every person on the planet descended from one African 'Eve' but every non-African is related to a more recent Eve, from that original migratory group. This is a revolutionary new theory about our origins that is both scholarly and entertaining, a remarkable account of the kinship of all humans. Further details of the findings in this book are presented at www.bradshawfoundation.com/stephenoppenheimer/ |
Contents
Prologue | 1 |
Out of Africa | 45 |
When did we become modern? | 89 |
Copyright | |
8 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Aboriginal Malays Africa American Journal Anatomically Modern ancestors ancient archaeological archaeologists Asian Aurignacian Australia beachcombing behaviour Beringia brain branches Bulbeck Cain Cave Central Asia Chapter China chromosome clan Clovis coast colonization culture dates daughter desert diversity earliest early East Asian Eastern Eurasia Europe European exodus Figure founder lines genetic evidence genetic lines geneticists groups Guinea haplogroup haplotypes Homo erectus Homo sapiens Human Genetics ibid ice age India Island Japan Journal of Human Kivisild Lahr language Levant Manju markers maternal Middle Palaeolithic migration million years ago mitochondrial DNA modern humans Mongolia Monte Verde mtDNA mutations Na-Dene Nasreen Native Americans Neanderthals non-African North America northern origin out-of-Africa Pacific populations prehistory radiocarbon recent Red Sea region Rohani Semang Seth Siberia skull South Asia Southeast Asia Southern Mongoloids species spread Steppe stone tools suggests Sundadonty Toba Torroni types Underhill unique Upper Palaeolithic West Eurasia Y chromosome Y-chromosome