Take Home Essay
O’Neal 1
Dajon O’Neal
David Zeanah
Anthropology 15
Section 03
Take Home Essay
Origins to Our Existence on Earth There are two theories about the origin of modern humans: 1) they began in one place, Africa—and 2) pre-modern humans migrated from Africa to become modern humans in other parts of the world. According to the lectures, most evidence trace to the first theory because of a few satisfying valid reasons. In the lectures it was told that “fossils of modern humans are particularly found in Africa” (Zeanah: lecture). In addition to this logic, it is also mentioned that “DNA studies suggest a originating population in Africa” (Zeanah). Although it seems that the first theory might be more credible, both theories to this day are still being debated over the study of human origins due to new research being found over the years. To begin, the Multi-regional theory is how Homo erectus left Africa (the Old World) about 2 million years ago to become Homo sapiens in all different parts of the world. In the reading, “The Multiregional Evolution of Humans”, authors Thorne and Wolpoff analyze how this representative would ever come to reason with some solutions to their perception and belief. In their reading you find some ideas that show how natural selection in regional populations, ever since their original dispersal, is responsible for the regional variants we see today. Moving forward, Thorne and Wolpoff’s theory from the reading also stated that the emergence of Homo sapiens was not restricted to any one area, but was a “phenomenon that occurred throughout the entire geographic range where humans lived” (4). In conclusion to having an understanding to this thesis, the multiregional view hypothesized those genes from all human populations of the
O’Neal 2
Old World coursed between different regions and by mixing together, contributed to what we see today as fully modern humans. In contradiction, the first theory argues that all modern humans came
Dajon O’Neal
David Zeanah
Anthropology 15
Section 03
Take Home Essay
Origins to Our Existence on Earth There are two theories about the origin of modern humans: 1) they began in one place, Africa—and 2) pre-modern humans migrated from Africa to become modern humans in other parts of the world. According to the lectures, most evidence trace to the first theory because of a few satisfying valid reasons. In the lectures it was told that “fossils of modern humans are particularly found in Africa” (Zeanah: lecture). In addition to this logic, it is also mentioned that “DNA studies suggest a originating population in Africa” (Zeanah). Although it seems that the first theory might be more credible, both theories to this day are still being debated over the study of human origins due to new research being found over the years. To begin, the Multi-regional theory is how Homo erectus left Africa (the Old World) about 2 million years ago to become Homo sapiens in all different parts of the world. In the reading, “The Multiregional Evolution of Humans”, authors Thorne and Wolpoff analyze how this representative would ever come to reason with some solutions to their perception and belief. In their reading you find some ideas that show how natural selection in regional populations, ever since their original dispersal, is responsible for the regional variants we see today. Moving forward, Thorne and Wolpoff’s theory from the reading also stated that the emergence of Homo sapiens was not restricted to any one area, but was a “phenomenon that occurred throughout the entire geographic range where humans lived” (4). In conclusion to having an understanding to this thesis, the multiregional view hypothesized those genes from all human populations of the
O’Neal 2
Old World coursed between different regions and by mixing together, contributed to what we see today as fully modern humans. In contradiction, the first theory argues that all modern humans came