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Rachel Barton
Teri Potter
Anthropology (Human Origins) 1020-007
30th April, 2015
Modern Human Origin- Who Are We?
Who are we? Where did we come from? What made us the way we are? These questions
go through my mind now and started a long time ago in my childhood. Life in general is a
mystery to me. I recall the 21 questions game Id play with my parents and these questions are
now coming from my seven year old. I have learned that some things cant be explained and I
would hope there is a higher purpose for us. With that being said I cannot deny science either and
I am still interested in our history and science in general. With this class I have some new ideas
and theories to share with my kids that my parents did not share with me. I have decided to
research the theories of where modern humans came from, Regional Continuity and
Replacement.
According to Aiello [t]he "out-of-Africa" hypothesis sees modern humans first
appearing in Africa prior to about 100,000 years ago and spreading from there through-out the
world. The opposing theory, the "regional continuity" or "multiregional evolution" hypothesis
argues that modern humans did not have a single area of origin but arose from their Middle
Pleistocene [ancestors] across Africa, Asia, and (at least eastern) Europe. However both agree
there was an [exodus] out of Africa in the late Lower Pleistocene or early Middle Pleistocene
period, resulting in the first appearance of Homo erectus in Eurasia (Aiello, p. 73).
According to the Films for the Humanities Sciences (Firm) in a film titled The Last
Neandertal the Regional Continuity theory of Wu Wolpoff believes that genetic hybridization

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played a role throughout the dispersal of hominids. That modern humans come from the
Pleistocene ancestors the Neanderthals by interbreeding (1996).
Evidence that is used to support Alan G. Thornes and Milford H. Wolpoffs theory
strongly relies with the fossil record (Thorne, Wolpoff. P. 46). One piece of evidence they
propose is that there is no fossil record of the replacement theory. The acheulean technology such
as the hand ax prominent in Africa and evidence of an intrusive culture is not found in the
Paleolithic fossil record in eastern Asia before nor after Eve. The Isreal sites (Qafzeh, and Skhul) in western Asia shows that these modern people had a culture identical to that of their
local Neandertal contemporaries: they made the same types of stone tools with the same
technologies and at the same frequencies; they had the same stylized burial customs, [and even
used the same butchering procedures] (p.48). This summed up means they argue there is no
evidence that has been found of an intrusive species wiping out all other species in a short
amount of time.
Other fossil evidence used in the Regional Continuity model includes hominid fossils
from Australasia (Indonesia, New Guinea and Australia) [that show] an anatomical sequence
during the Pleistocene that is uninterrupted by a new African species at any time. The
distinguishing features of the earliest of these Javan remains, dated to more than one million
years ago, show that they had developed when the region was rst inhabited (p.49). Also noted
in the record is a similarity of Javan peoples features in Australian inhabitants. Australia was
first inhabited 60,000 years ago. They argue that Australia would have been replaced as well and
their features would have changed rapidly to that of the new comers (Thorne, Wolpoff, P. 49-50).

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Chinese sites show evolutionary patterns in the fossil record as well. Their characteristics
differ from Javan peoples. They are less robust, have rounder foreheads, smaller teeth and flat
faces.
As Wu Rukang and Zhang Yinyun of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have pointed out,
even within the 150,000 or more years spanned by the Zhoukoudian individuals,
evolutionary changes in the modern direction, including increases in brain size and
decreases in tooth size, can be seen. Our examinations of the Chinese specimens found no
anatomical evidence that typically African features ever replaced those of the ancient
Chinese in these regions. (Thorne, and Wolpoff. P. 50).
A similarity in features and inheritance can be seen in the fossil record of Europe
suggests Thorne and Wolppoff. The features of the fossils found in Europe are explained to have
a mixture of archaic and modern hominid characteristics. They believe that Neandertals either
evolved, interbred or both with the African peoples. According to David W. Frayer and Fed H.
Smith state that only a few Neandertal features completely disappear from the later European
skeletal record (Thorne, and Wolpoff. p. 50).
The counter theory known as the Replacement theory or Out of Africa theory by
Stringer believes that one single species fairly recently (150,000 and 100,000 years ago) evolved
from Africa and migrated from there replacing all the other hominid species (Tattersall, 2003).
According to Aiello this hypothesis has received a lot of support and does not deny
interrelationships with other species but that it was very little if any (p.73).
The fossil record evidence for the replacement theory is that modern humans appeared
70,000 years earlier in Africa before record of modern humans in Europe and also well before
the disappearance of the European Classic Neanderthals (Aiello, p. 76). In the film The Last

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Neandertal, they explained the replacement theory also bases that the fossil record did not show
a transition from the short forehead, stocky, thick boned Neanderthal and archaic Homos of the
Pleistocene to the linear bodied, more gracile featured rounded head Modern Human. That this
theory supports modern humans evolved simultaneously from one common ancestor and not by
interbreeding amongst different hominid species (1996).
With todays technology and advancement this theory also bases itself heavily on DNA
evidence in contrast to the other camp. According to Donald Johanson, human DNA is almost
identical regardless of race with relatively little genetic variation in comparison to the
differences and variation found in our closest relative, the chimpanzee amongst the same
population. Johanson says that there is greater differences in the chimpanzees than that
between European, Asian and African human populations suggesting modern humans are from
one common ancestor rather than from a mixture or blending of species. Also mitochondrial
DNA shows the most genetic diversification is amongst African populations suggesting modern
humans came from Africa in one single exodus. Along with this analysis, the timeline reveals
Homo sapiens first in Africa between 100,000 and 400,000 years ago. Another study succeeded
in extracting DNA from Neanderthal skeletons revealing that Neanderthals are very different
than that of modern humans. This analysis suggested that there is 400,000 years of separation
between modern humans and the Neanderthal species. (Johanson, 2001)
Tattersall explains, The rise of modern humans is a recent drama that played out against
a long and complex backdrop of evolutionary diversification among hominids, but the fossil
record shows that from the earliest times, Africa was consistently the center from which new
lineages of hominids sprang. Also noted is there is evidence that differential evolution occurred

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in Asia and Europe however that Africa is where the modern human species migrated and as
would be expected natural selection would act on our northern relatives. (2003)
After evaluating both positions on the origins of modern humans I find myself leaning
more towards the Replacement theory camp as being more accurate. The Regional Continuity
theory in my opinion bases a majority of its evidence subjectively such as the notion that because
its not there doesnt mean it doesnt exist. Also the features of the fossil record are visually
based. This opens it up to a lot of personal interpretation. Our hominid cousins of coarse have
similar features. This is why they are placed in the Homo genus with modern humans. I feel
more inclined to have more faith for the genetic evidence support the Out of Africa theory.
This is based on objective analyses. Also the fossil record shows Neanderthals and Modern
Humans cohabiting. Where I am torn between both theories being correct is that they both dont
deny that there was interbreeding amongst the hominids. We are still yet to figure out who we are
and where we come from. Maybe this will never be quite understood and there is a larger work at
play.

E-Portfolio Address: http://rjbslcc.weebly.com/anthropology-1020.html

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Works Cited
Aiello, Leslie C. "The Fossil Evidence for Modern Human Origins in Africa: A Revised
View." American Anthropologist. Wiley. Mar. 1993. Vol 95. No.1 P. 73-96. Print.
Johanson, Donald. "Origins of Modern Humans: Multiregional or Out of
Africa?" Actionbioscience. American Institute of Biological Sciences, May 2001. Web.
30 Apr. 2015.
Tattersall, Ian. "Out Of Africa AgainAnd Again?." Scientific American Special Edition 13.2
(2003): 38-45. Health Source - Consumer Edition. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
The Last Neandertal: Competing Theories of Human Origins. Films On Demand. Films
Media
Group, 1996. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
Thorne Alan G. Wolpoff, Milford The Multiregional Evolution of Modern Humans.
Emergence. Scientific American, Inc. 2003. Print