> > As for the fossil record, biologists can confidently show a > continuous > > sequence of transformations for a very large number of transitions, > > including the transition from Australopithecines to our own species. > > > My original training was in zoology and I worked for the > Smithsonian Institution in that capacity after college. I > agree with you, but not with your example. There really > isn't much of a record when it comes to human evolution. All > of the known fossils of Australopithecines and the earliest > true humans could fit in one relatively small room. We have > lots of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, but they are very late > on the tree and tell us nothing about origins. > > Only recently have some anthropologists been willing to come > forward and say that the evidence for the "out of Africa" > theory of human origin is pretty shaky, at best, and that > there is equal likelihood of Asian origin. Most pre-human > fossils have been found in Africa because that is where > people have looked for them. Put money into looking in Asia, > and, lo and behold, you find them there! > > We know so very little of human prehistory that for us to say > much of anything with any degree of certainty is just not > possible. We don't yet know where we came from.
Bob, I can't match your zoological training and experience, but I do keep up with this subject. The DNA evidence more or less refutes anything other than the Out of Africa theory. Asia obviously remains a good place to look for fossils (the 'Hobbit' from Flores shows that) but I don't think anyone really thinks that human origins lie anywhere but Africa now. The major cometing theory of 'multiregionalism' seems, as far as I understand it all, to have been pretty much debunked now. No doubt you also keep up with events, and you'll be aware how quickly things are changing, and how much stuff is being dug up all over East and Southern Africa these days to support the DNA evidence. Even compared to 10 and 15 years ago, the pace of discovery is astonishing. If you don't know them already, you might be interested in these books by Stephen Oppenheimer, and the website. They're not specifically about the evolution of modern humans, but they do explore the migration of modern people out of Africa: http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/stephenoppenheimer/reading.html This animation is especially interesting: http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/journey/ There were already other pre-modern human populations outside Africa at the time, but according to the current model they did not contribute to the evolution of us. There is an article here by Donald Johansen: http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/johanson.html He led the team that found Lucy. He describes the Out of Africa and Multiregional theories, and concludes "For the moment, the majority of anatomical, archaeological and genetic evidence gives credence to the view that fully modern humans are a relatively recent evolutionary phenomenon. The current best explanation for the beginning of modern humans is the Out of Africa Model that postulates a single, African origin for Homo sapiens. The major neurological and cultural innovations that characterized the appearance of fully modern humans has proven to be remarkably successful, culminating in our dominance of the planet at the expense of all earlier hominid populations. " Bob
