Why
did we migrate? If not for the human migration from Africa, all humans
would look the same. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors spread out
everywhere on the globe, giving rise to a huge diversity of races,
cultures and people. But what pushed us to move out?
Recent
research suggest that a genetic mutation may have been partially
responsible for this movement. Modern humans arose about 180,0
00
years ago. And for almost 100,000 of those years, we stagnated around
bodies of water in Central Africa. Our ancestors developed a mutation
that allowed them to convert medium chain plant-based Polyunsaturated
Fatty Acids (PUFAs) into long chain Brain PUFAs that were vital for
brain growth and function.
Prior to that, the humans needed to
stay closer to water bodies in order to get shellfish and fish, which
had the long chain PUFA necessary for complex brain function. Due to the
mutation, the humans could diversify their PUFA sources, even to those
that existed far away from water. This would have been useful for the
Great Expansion.
So, if you ever again wonder why we're so diverse, you can thank this tiny little mutation!
Read all about it! http://www.sciencedaily.com/
Why
did we migrate? If not for the human migration from Africa, all humans
would look the same. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors spread out
everywhere on the globe, giving rise to a huge diversity of races,
cultures and people. But what pushed us to move out?
Recent research suggest that a genetic mutation may have been partially responsible for this movement. Modern humans arose about 180,0
Recent research suggest that a genetic mutation may have been partially responsible for this movement. Modern humans arose about 180,0
00
years ago. And for almost 100,000 of those years, we stagnated around
bodies of water in Central Africa. Our ancestors developed a mutation
that allowed them to convert medium chain plant-based Polyunsaturated
Fatty Acids (PUFAs) into long chain Brain PUFAs that were vital for
brain growth and function.
Prior to that, the humans needed to stay closer to water bodies in order to get shellfish and fish, which had the long chain PUFA necessary for complex brain function. Due to the mutation, the humans could diversify their PUFA sources, even to those that existed far away from water. This would have been useful for the Great Expansion.
So, if you ever again wonder why we're so diverse, you can thank this tiny little mutation!
Read all about it! http://www.sciencedaily.com/
Prior to that, the humans needed to stay closer to water bodies in order to get shellfish and fish, which had the long chain PUFA necessary for complex brain function. Due to the mutation, the humans could diversify their PUFA sources, even to those that existed far away from water. This would have been useful for the Great Expansion.
So, if you ever again wonder why we're so diverse, you can thank this tiny little mutation!
Read all about it! http://www.sciencedaily.com/
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