The story of human evolution has just been rewritten (again)

Technology has a history almost as old as humankind. When humans first lived in Africa, they began creating tools made of stone, which started the chain of events that led to the invention of the screen you are reading these words on today.

Yet new evidence shows instead of a single group of people coming up with these tools, there were groups of humans living across Africa. The groups were kept separate by forests, rivers and deserts, and while they could not communicate with each other, they were separately inventing their own tools.

The results have the potential to change the way we think about our genetic origin, adding complexity to the story of ancient migration in Africa.

A collaboration of researchers, lead by Oxford University, combined the study of bones, stones and genes, along with detailed reconstructions of the African continent’s climate and habitat over time.

Some of the least welcoming parts of Africa today, like the Sahara, were once wet and green, full of lakes, rivers, and abundant wildlife. On the other hand, some humid, green tropical regions were once dry and arid.

Using this information, the researchers put together a new picture of our evolution over the past 300,000 years. The combination of data showed that, instead of a single population, our ancestors were spread out across Africa.

They lived in diverse habitats with changing environmental boundaries, like forests and deserts; because of this they did not interact consistently. The separation spanned more than a thousand years, which gave the human species plenty of time to diversify. This led to the incredible diversity seen in humans across the world today.

In terms of artifacts, the team found evidence humans were inventing new technology separately, at around the same time, across Africa.

*THE Ben Reilly* wrote:This is really cool, it reminds me of how some scientists think that human remains that have been classified as different species might actually be from the same species, but that it was simply possible for those people to look quite different from one another, just as modern people can.

eddie wrote:I have a real problem thinking about the fact we may come from monkeys. It just seems so....blah. So, matter of fact, like we aren’t more than just animals.

*THE Ben Reilly* wrote:

eddie wrote:I have a real problem thinking about the fact we may come from monkeys. It just seems so....blah. So, matter of fact, like we aren’t more than just animals.

Well, we're incredibly powerful animals in some respects.

eddie wrote:I have a real problem thinking about the fact we may come from monkeys. It just seems so....blah. So, matter of fact, like we aren’t more than just animals.

eddie wrote:

*THE Ben Reilly* wrote:

eddie wrote:I have a real problem thinking about the fact we may come from monkeys. It just seems so....blah. So, matter of fact, like we aren’t more than just animals.

Well, we're incredibly powerful animals in some respects.

But I want to be a soul! Not a basic, boring animal.

eddie wrote:
I have a real problem thinking about the fact we may come from monkeys. It just seems so....blah. So, matter of fact, like we aren’t more than just animals.

eddie wrote:

*THE Ben Reilly* wrote:

Well, we're incredibly powerful animals in some respects.

But I want to be a soul! Not a basic, boring animal.

eddie wrote:
Yes. Evolution is onetheory. I accept that it is one theory.

eddie wrote:Yes. Evolution is onetheory. I accept that it is one theory.

eddie wrote:To everyone:

It is still, just a theory. Because we don’t actually know.

It’s a theory.

eddie wrote:To everyone:

It is still, just a theory. Because we don’t actually know.

It’s a theory.

Eilzel wrote:

eddie wrote:To everyone:

It is still, just a theory. Because we don’t actually know.

It’s a theory.

But we do know, to the point of 99% certainty based on a mountain of evidence spanning two hundred years.

If a person seemed to be guilt of murder due to overwhelming evidence (to the degree of 90+% certainty) would you convict them?

And can I ask, is it evolution overall you doubt, or just the idea of humans evolving from apes?

eddie wrote:I’d like you to admit, that your belief is based upon what you’ve read.

So it’s a theory. Right?

eddie wrote:
I’d like you to admit, that your belief is based upon what you’ve read.

So it’s a theory. Right?

eddie wrote:Yes. Evolution is onetheory. I accept that it is one theory.

eddie wrote:To everyone:

It is still, just a theory. Because we don’t actually know.

It’s a theory.

Eilzel wrote:

eddie wrote:I’d like you to admit, that your belief is based upon what you’ve read.

So it’s a theory. Right?

That was a complete dismissal of two fairly basic questions. I'm going to answer yours however, since I do answer people when asked something. I hope you'll show me the decency to do the same later.

It IS based on what is read, same as my belief in William I winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066 is based on what I've read. Same as my belief in Alexander Fleming being the inventor of penicillin is based on what I've read. When ALL the evidence points to ONE thing being true then THAT thing becomes more than 'just a theory'.

Fossils.
Biological similarities.
No contradictory evidence.
Every find further confirming evolution.
Witnessed examples of evolution.
Nearly every scientist agreeing that evolution happened (and is happening).

There is so much corroborating evidence FOR evolution, agreed on by nearly all scientists, that if this were a murder trial we'd have tried and convicted the felon a century ago.

You seem to live in this world where one googled article is the equivalent of 1000 peer reviewed scientific research papers.

EVERYTHING you and I believe that is NOT something we have done or witnessed for ourselves is something we believe based on what we have read. BUT, it should be abundantly clear that some things are more credible than others.

You probably won't read this far, but if you do, I'd ask you to please entertain the next two questions again (since I clearly answered yours):

1. If a person seemed to be guilty of murder due to overwhelming evidence (to the degree of 90+% certainty) would you convict them?

And 2. Is it evolution overall you doubt, or just the idea of humans evolving from apes?

*~[THE Ben Reilly]~* wrote:Hey Les, just wondering - where do you theorize life actually originated from?

Eilzel wrote:

*~[THE Ben Reilly]~* wrote:Hey Les, just wondering - where do you theorize life actually originated from?

Well, firstly, I've no real idea. The best theory I've read or heard is of the 'ingredients for life' coming to Earth on meteors, or the primordial soup theory. The latter seems less likely to me, because life spontaneously evolving from nothing seems unlikely. However, assuming (and I mean that in the strictest meaning of the word) that EVERYTHING once came from nothing (that word is not being used in the strictest sense) then it certainly could have happened.

However, the idea of life coming from elsewhere seems more probably, based purely on my own feelings. Which still raises the question of WHERE those 'ingredients' came from (and which must, ultimately, have also come from 'sort of nothing'.).

So overall, my absolutely honest answer is (as any honest person should say), I don't know. But life coming from somewhere else in space is my best guess.

There are, of course, 'theories' I would discount, but those two have merit

As a side note: I also do not totally discount the possibility that 'extraterrestrial' life came and tampered with evolution at some point to produce humans. That does NOT mean that I think such a thing DID happen, only that I entertain the possibility. Also, such a possibility does NOT mean evolution doesn't happen, because it evidently does.

All interesting subjects, which I wish people wouldn't discount because they go against 'religion' 'closed-mindedness' or 'feelings'.

*~[THE Ben Reilly]~* wrote:

Eilzel wrote:

*~[THE Ben Reilly]~* wrote:Hey Les, just wondering - where do you theorize life actually originated from?

Well, firstly, I've no real idea. The best theory I've read or heard is of the 'ingredients for life' coming to Earth on meteors, or the primordial soup theory. The latter seems less likely to me, because life spontaneously evolving from nothing seems unlikely. However, assuming (and I mean that in the strictest meaning of the word) that EVERYTHING once came from nothing (that word is not being used in the strictest sense) then it certainly could have happened.

However, the idea of life coming from elsewhere seems more probably, based purely on my own feelings. Which still raises the question of WHERE those 'ingredients' came from (and which must, ultimately, have also come from 'sort of nothing'.).

So overall, my absolutely honest answer is (as any honest person should say), I don't know. But life coming from somewhere else in space is my best guess.

There are, of course, 'theories' I would discount, but those two have merit

As a side note: I also do not totally discount the possibility that 'extraterrestrial' life came and tampered with evolution at some point to produce humans. That does NOT mean that I think such a thing DID happen, only that I entertain the possibility. Also, such a possibility does NOT mean evolution doesn't happen, because it evidently does.

All interesting subjects, which I wish people wouldn't discount because they go against 'religion' 'closed-mindedness' or 'feelings'.

That's interesting, because while I juggle/wonder about the "life here came from out there" vs. "primordial soup" theories, I kind of hope the opposite, that life on Earth originated on Earth.

I was telling eddie this earlier, I think it's just because if life on Earth originated somewhere else, we'd have an even deeper mystery to solve as to how life came about in the first place.

At least if it came from here, the mystery is right under our noses.

*~[THE Ben Reilly]~* wrote:Yes! And in that vein, life definitely originated in space because Earth originated in space.

Funny how we can so easily be pulled back into the mindset that we're somehow separate from the rest of space, when we're really just a little chunk of it like all the rest. We have life, well yeah, and probably a good number of the others have life as well.

*~[THE Ben Reilly]~* wrote:Hey Les, just wondering - where do you theorize life actually originated from?