From Africa to Aotearoa

The story of human migrations

Part 1: Out of Africa

The spread of modern humans from Africa through Europe and Asia

Part 2: To Aotearoa
Human migrations across the Pacific to New Zealand

The modern human lineage originated in Africa less than 200,000 years ago

The earliest modern human fossils are from Ethiopia

Human skull from Herto, Ethiopia, dated to 160,000 years ago

Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: White et al. (2003) Nature 423, 742-747 2003

Modern humans: Out of Africa Europe Africa Asia

Mitochondrial Eve

Homo erectus

Africa

Early human fossil from Israel, dated to 90,000-100,000 years ago

DNA and fossils can give different types of information

By comparing DNA changes among populations we can trace their history

Population 1: Population 2: Population 3: Population 4: ATGTAACGTTATA ACGTAACGTTATA ACGAAACGTTATA ACGAAACCTTATA

Mitochondrial DNA traces the female line

Mitochondria: DNA comes from mother

Nucleus: DNA comes from both parents

Offspring cell

Mitochondrial DNA suggests migrations out of Africa began around 65,000 years ago
40,000

65,000 150,000 50,000

The Y chromosome traces the male line

Y chromosome lineages began to diverge about 60,000 years ago

Migration patterns of early humans

Y chromosome Mitochondrial DNA

https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/

By sequencing whole genomes we can see the genetic signatures of our ancestors

Genome sequences suggest two migrations into Asia

An Aboriginal Australian Genome Reveals Separate Human Dispersals into Asia Morten Rasmussen, Eske Willerslev and colleagues, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Science 2011; Vol. 334 pages 94-98

40,000

60-75,000
150,000

Genome sequences suggest two migrations into Asia

African European
2

Chinese

Melanesian & Aboriginal

25,000-40,000 yrs ago

60,000-75,000 yrs ago

Whom did Homo sapiens meet as they spread through Europe and Asia?

Neanderthals lived in Europe 150,000 to 30,000 years ago

Did Neanderthals and Homo sapiens interbreed?

Comparison of Neanderthal (left) and modern human skulls

Fossilised bones provide a source of Neanderthal DNA

Neanderthal sampling sites

A draft sequence of the Neandertal genome Svante Pbo, Richard Green and colleagues, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany Science 2010; Vol. 328 pages 710-722

African
European Chinese Melanesian
Interbreeding (2%)

Neanderthal

Denisova Cave, Siberia

 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Genetic history of an archaic hominin group from Denisova Cave in Siberia David Reich, Svante Pbo and colleagues, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Harvard University, USA Nature Vol 468, 23/30 December 2010

African (San) European Chinese

Interbreeding

Melanesian Neanderthal

Interbreeding

Denisovan

Neanderthal Denisovan

150,000

Out of Africa, with some hybridisation

Modern humans are mostly of recent African origin The contribution from Neanderthal and Denisovan hybridization is small

Over 10,000 years, one mating event every 25-50 years.

What does race mean?

Our recent African origin means our racial characteristics evolved only recently

60-75,000

19th century: Human races different species?

Racial features are the result of superficial genetic changes

We are all Africans under the skin

Blue eyes result from a single genetic change less than 10,000 years ago

Percentage of Europeans with light-coloured eyes

When you look at the underlying genetic variation, we are much more similar than we appear on the surface

0.1% variation

Most human genetic variation occurs within populations

Africa

Asia

Europe

Most human genetic variation occurs within populations

85-90% variation within populations 10-15% variation between populations

Differences between ethnic groups are minor compared to differences among people overall

Ancestry, not race

Y chromosome

Mitochondrial DNA

Thanks to Azra Moeed, Terry Burrell, Barbara Mavor, and Glenda Lewis for assistance with preparing this presentation

Produced by Hilary Miller in association with the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution
hilary.miller10@gmail.com www.allanwilsoncentre.ac.nz

Photo credits
Slide 3: Science Photo Library Slide 4: MacMillan Publishers Slides 6, 7: Science Photo Library Slide 9: Univ. of California Museum of Paleontology (http://evolution.berkeley.edu) Slide 10: Blank map from Wikimedia Commons (Author Crates) Slide 11: Wikimedia Commons (Courtesy: National Human Genome Research Institute) Slide 12: Constructed with information from National Genographic maps and the Genographic project Slide 14: Science Photo Library Slide 15: iStockphoto Slides 18-20: Science Photo Library Slide 21: Science Magazine, American Association for the Advancement of Science Slides 22, 24: Science Photo library Slide 25: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Slide 28: Science Photo Library Slide 29: TRANZ International Image Library Ltd Slide 31: Science Photo Library Slide 32, 33, 35: TRANZ International Image Library Ltd Slide 33: Wikimedia Commons (Author: NordNordWest) Slide 34: Emmanuelle Bournay, UNEP/GRID-Arendal Slide 38: Constructed with information from National Genographic maps and the Genographic project