hiya all,
been reading about some interesting genetic research
into human origins.
mitochondrial DNA from all the world's races was
sampled. this DNA is single strand and does not
recombine; that is it is passed on faithfully from
mother to child, excepting mutations - the
accumulation of which are the basis for estimating the
age of the race in question.
because recombination (the mixture of male and female
DNA at fertilisation) does not occur with
mitochondrial DNA the accuracy of the dating method is
better than testing nuclear DNA.
anyhoo....some really really interesting results.
turns out the youngest races on the earth are the
caucasian and negroid, at about 40 000 - 60 000 years
old. the next oldest are the (near-extinct) red and
oriental races at 100 000 - 120 000 years old.
the oldest race by far is the australian aboriginal
which, based on the very high amount of accumulated
mitochondrial DNA mutations, is roughly 400 000 years
old!
some big implications.
Australia is, geologically speaking, the oldest
continent on Earth. It seems biologically speaking it
is also! I am not sure but i think similar testing on
marsupials has shown them to be of significantly older
origin than their placental mammalian cousins.
So if you haven't already gone AHA! then let me spell
it out: WE DIDN'T DESCEND FROM PRIMATES. there have
never been primates in australia. Neo-Darwinian theory
has less credibility than creationism!! ha!
The aboriginal peoples have always maintained that
they are the first people - that they came direct from
the dreamtime. This research lends massive weight to
their claims and also throws open the mystery of human
origins once more.
i will do some digging at get some refs. the book i
read this in - voices of the first day - is over at a
friend's.
cheers
gav
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