Scientists have endlessly been trying to answer the question of human evolution; specifically, where the first humans existed. For a while, experts thought the Out of Africa theory could account for the migration of people around 60,000 years ago. The "out-of-Africa theory," thought that modern humans evolved in Africa for thousands of years before spreading to other parts of the world. Recent data suggests that the Out of Africa idea may not be as reliable as it first appears. In the Moroccan Jebel Irhoud region, archaeologists discovered human bones that were around 315,000 years old. The oldest known human bones were found in Ethiopia and were thought to be roughly 196,000 years old, making the former more than 100,000 years older.
This revelation allowed academics to consider alternative theories regarding how early humans had migrated to various parts of the planet. In 2018, a group of researchers proposed that early humans may not have evolved in one location over time, but rather in a number of locations throughout Africa. The various human groups would not have initially resembled one another, but over time (and maybe due to their shared genetic ancestry if they were all believed to be humans), they might have started to resemble one another. The fact that the Out of Africa idea is supported by tenable evidence adds a little bit of complexity for scientists. However, researchers have now discovered through DNA and genetic analysis that every individual alive now may share a single ancestor - a lady who lived in Botswana some 200,000 years ago.
It's strange to believe that all of the current humans on the earth are descended from the same woman! Additionally, it is very exciting that there is new data suggesting that there may be a new idea regarding how early humans originated. The fact that anthropologists now have a new piece of the complex puzzle involving the origins of the 7 billion people who currently inhabit our planet suggests that we may be getting closer to understanding our ancestry.
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