New Out-Of-Africa Theory Unveiled

Discovery News ^ | 2-25-2002 | Larry O'Hanlon

[blam]

Will someone please point out the new part to this theory?

[Pharmboy]

The new part is the date: they now have moved it back from approximately 150-200 thousand yars ago to 80,000! This is PC balderdash!

The Homo erectus of China (Peking Man) of 400,000 years ago had specific dental and cranial traits that are unique to present-day Asians.

Explain that, PC-liars.

Please click here.

[ThePoetsRaven]

I've got a bridge to sell ya.

[Mensch]

What is it about the thought of a common and recent African ancestor, that seems to bother you so much?

[Sabertooth]

(((ping))))

[Aric2000]

Bump for later perusal

[Godel]

"The fact that we look different is because we live in different environments," said Oppenheimer. "(But) we are really, truly the same under the skin."

By "we" does he mean all non-africans, or everyone.

[PISANO]

Great questions for geneticists and anthropologists but as for little ol me.........I don't really give a darn where I originated from. I am Sicilian, which means Arabs, Greeks and Ethiopians etc inhabited and spread their seed many hundreds of years ago. If they all came from Africa, good. I have no problem with it "ALL" starting in Africa or Sweeden or Pago Pago. Just don't see how it matters.

[TopQuark]

What is it about the thought of a common and recent African ancestor, that seems to bother you so much? O do not mean to speak for Pharmboy, but I do not think that the though itself is troublesome: it is the way the so-called scientists are going about it. Rather than a hypothesis, which the findings may reject, they seem to have an agenda of proving that which is already popular with the public. When you hear someone at this day and age saying "we are all the same under the skin," you know why he undertook this "research." One is curious how much of information that is contrary to the "findings" has been discarded to arrive the proper conclusion.

[VadeRetro]

Thanks for the ping. I'll wait for the dust to settle on whether an 80Kya dispersion makes sense.

[TopQuark]

"The fact that we look different is because we live in different environments," said Oppenheimer. "(But) we are really, truly the same under the skin."

Well, Phoenicians have lived in North Africa for several millennia by now -- a period of time comparable to that from the initial alleged exodus. How come no poeple seem to develop Negroid features because it lives in Africa after migrating from elsewhere?

[RightWhale]

Homo erectus of China (Peking Man) of 400,000 years ago

Is it possible that Homo erectus evolved at several places on earth in stages? The Peking Man would have evolved first into modern man, others evolved later. Would the evolutes all have the same DNA? That hypothesis is popular in China.

[bribriagain]

"(But) we are really, truly the same under the skin."

This gives me hope that I an all white team will one day win the NBA trophy. Not.

[JamesWilson]

Does this mean I can get a low-interest government loan as an African-American, or do I have to keep using the Native-American label?

[PistolPaknMama]

A ponder-later bump.

[Mensch]

I agree in general with your assessment, and god knows there are numerous examples of similar shenanigans amongst todays academicians. The rush to acceptance by the popular media of controversial hypothesis such as this is always a dead giveaway of one theorem or anothers political appeal

Never the less I'd like to hear it from Pharmboy himself.

[Pharmboy]

What is it about the thought of a common and recent African ancestor, that seems to bother you so much?

That, sir, is a softball. I have been in science my whole life and have a great deal of respect for data. When politics drives pronouncements based on contradictory data it ceases to be science. Stephen Jay Gould is the mother of all anthropology/evolution liars. They disregard contradictory evidence (and there is much).

Further, I infer from your question that you think I have an ulterior motive in lambasting this lunacy, i.e., I am a racist. You, perhaps are a liberal. Read more on the subject starting with the site I linked.

You do not sound like a mensch to me.

[Pharmboy]

Yes--this fits with the multiregional hypothesis and there are no data to refute it.