Human DNA tied mostly to single exodus from Africa long ago

Human DNA tied mostly to single exodus from Africa long ago
Associated Press
Associated Press
By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer
1 hr ago
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In this Feb. 20, 1962 file photo, an elder warrior with a stone axe over his shoulder stands over the Baliem Valley in the central mountain range of Papua New Guinea. New research published Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016 suggests that the genetic ancestry of people living outside Africa can be traced almost completely to a single exodus of humans from that continent long ago. But some native islanders of Papua New Guinea may also carry a tiny legacy from an earlier exit. (AP Photo) © The Associated Press In this Feb. 20, 1962 file photo, an elder warrior with a stone axe over his shoulder stands over the Baliem Valley in the central mountain range of Papua New Guinea. New research published Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016 suggests that the genetic ancestry of people living outside Africa can be traced almost completely to a single exodus of humans from that continent long ago. But some native islanders of Papua New Guinea may also carry a tiny legacy from an earlier exit. (AP Photo)

NEW YORK — The genetic ancestry of people living outside Africa can be traced almost completely to a single exodus of humans from that continent long ago, new studies suggest.

Still, a tiny legacy from an earlier exit may persist in some native islanders in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

That's the conclusion from three studies of modern DNA from around the world, released Wednesday by the journal Nature.

Our species, Homo sapiens, arose about 200,000 years ago in Africa. From there, it colonized the world, and scientists are still trying to understand the timing of that expansion.

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