Drew Weston

ANTH-1020
Modern Human Origins

I am sure that most everyone has asked the question of where do we come from
and why are we here? Anthropologists and many others have tried to answer this
question to the best of their abilities and for now, the two theories that are best able to
answer this question are the Regional Continuity (Multiregional Evolution) and the
Replacement Models. Both of these models have some similarities but some major
differences on where we came from. I will be discussing and providing evidence for both
theories.
The Multiregional Evolution model is probably the most straightforward theory
since there arent too many versions of it that differ drastically. This model rejects a
single place of origin but rather suggests that populations in Africa, Europe, and Asia
evolved somewhat simultaneously into anatomically modern humans (Jurmain, Kilgore,
& Trevathan, 2013). How this model suggests that these geographically dispersed
populations evolved together is through significant levels of geneflow from migrating
groups. The supporters of this model also make no distinction between modern and premodern humans; rather all hominins fallowing Homo-erectus are classified as a single
species, Homo-sapiens (Jurmain et al., 2013).
This theory is supported by the work of Franz Weidenreich. Franz noted that there
were enough similarities between Chinese Homo-erectus and modern Mongoloid people
to prove that there wasnt a single place of origin (Aiello, 1993). These features included
sagittal keeling, Inca bones, specific features of the nasal bridge and cheek region,
maxillary, ear, mandibular exostoses, etc (Aiello, 1993, p. 78). Findings at the

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Zhoukoudian Cave in northern China where a quarter of all human remains from the
Middle Pleistocene have been found also show evolutionary changes in the modern
direction, including larger brain and smaller tooth size (Thorne & Wolpoff, 2003). What
this is saying is that there are distinct evolutionary traits that can be fallowed from Homoerectus to modern humans of their respective regions which supports the theory that these
hominids lived where they evolved.
The question to ask though is how could anatomically modern humans evolve
separately on different continents and end up so alike, both physically and genetically?
Through natural selection and possible speciation it should be unlikely that these modern
humans from different continents are so similar both physically and genetically! Fossil
findings in the Near East of Modern Homo-sapiens dating back nearly 120,000 years ago
show that there is a chronological overlap of the area of the Near East by Neadertals and
Modern Humans. Because of this overlap anthropologists have suggested this region is
likely a place where modern humans from Africa first interbred with Neadertals (Jurmain
et al., 2013).
The theory of replacement suggests that all modern humans first arose in Africa
within the last 200,000 years then migrated to Europe and Asia replacing the local
populations (Jurmain et al., 2013). There are some variations to this model such as the
complete replacement and partial replacement. The complete replacement model suggests
that when these modern humans migrated from Africa that there was little to no breeding
with the local populations and that it was a speciation event that gave rise to the modern
humans. It argues that modern humans migrating from Africa could not have interbred
with the Neadertals because they were biologically a different species. An important note

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is that African populations have far greater diversity than any other populations around
the world, which would support the replacement models.
The partial replacement theory, which supports that there was some interbreeding
between modern humans and Neandertals, suggests that there was a range of 1-4% of
interbreeding (Jurmain et al., 2013). There has also been a sequence of mitochondrial
DNA that has been discovered in both Neandertals and modern humans, which strongly
suggests that there was some amount of interbreeding between the two groups (Jurmain
et al., 2013).
Chronologically there is a plethora of evidence that supports the above theory that
anatomically modern humans first appeared in Africa then dispersed throughout the old
world. The replacement theory recognizes that there are three grades of Homo-sapiens
evolution in Africa. The first includes fossils such as Kabwe found in Zambia, and Bodo
found in Ethiopia. These fossils date back 400,000-200,000 years ago and have features
that retain some primitive ones shared with Homo-erectus, but share others such as brain
expansion with Homo-sapiens (Aiello, 1993). Secondly, fossils such as Jebel Irhoud
found in Morroco, and Florisbad found in southern Africa generally show a smaller
flatter face with a more rounded cranium. Third, which are anatomically modern homosapiens, appear right around 100,000 years ago (Aiello, 1993). According to this timeline
modern humans were established in Africa nearly 70,000 years before their appearance in
western Europe.
With all this evidence for both theories I have decided that the theory that makes
the most sense and has the best supportive evidence is the replacement theory. While it
still doesnt have all the necessary information to make it the universally believed model,

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but at this point in time, with the information we do have I believe that it is the most
complete model. The evidence that was stated previously supports that it was far more
likely that modern humans dispersed from Africa replacing local populations. The
discovery of mitochondrial DNA dating back 200,000 years ago that links modern
humans to Africa (Relethford, 2008) which is very supporting of the replacement theory.
In summary the multiregional model does not have enough supporting evidence
like the replacement models do. The replacement models have supporting fossil evidence
along with mitochondrial DNA that suggests we came from one origin instead of
evolving simultaneously in different parts of the globe. I believe that with the evidence
that we currently have the replacement models are the most likely at this time.

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ANTH-1020

References
Aiello, L. (1993). The fossil evidence for modern human origins in Africa: A revised
view, 73-96.
Thorne, A., & Wolpoff, M. (2003). The multiregional evolution of humans, 46-53.
Relethford, J. (2008). Genetic evidence and the modern human origins debate, 555-568.
Jurmain, R., Kilgore, L., Trevathan, W. (2013). Human origins evolution and diversity
(9th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage learning.

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