Chinese Roots: Skull May Complicate Human-Origins Debate

Science News ^ | 12-21/28-2002 | Bruce Bower

[Tallguy]

I thought genetic mapping and analysis showed us with a common African 'Eve', mother to us all?

This evidence suggests that it is possible that modern humans may have evolved in Asia. But the ancestors of that population could still have been African. Hence this doesn't not invalidate the genetic evidence that you cite.

Fact is, the Chinese are very political with their archeology, too. They are very nervous about the caucasian bones found in Western China, possibly because of the implications for autonomy in that region. The Chinese didn't properly date these remains when they discovered them. Now they are going back & saying they are much older. Who to believe?

[Tallguy]

It's possible that a (mutant) woman was born with significantly superior mitochondria, which slowly over time supplanted the other mitochondria throughout a large and sustained population with an otherwise diverse gene pool, without the need for a mass die-off, or for one population pushing out another.

That's pretty much the way it was explained to me. In fact, all such genetic studies are essentially statistical samples. The fact that they haven't found another set of mitocondrial genes from a second "Eve", doesn't mean that she didn't exist. It's just that the statistical chances that there is modern evidence of a second "Eve" are diminishing to the Zero Point.

[Wudan Master]

Thanks for the link

I tend to agree with WOLPOFF