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: ATGTAACGTTATA
Population 2: ACGTAACGTTATA
Population 3: ACGAAACGTTATA
Population 4: ACGAAACCTTATA
1 2 3 4
Mitochondrial DNA traces the female line

Mitochondria:
DNA comes Nucleus: DNA
from mother 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
1
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

Melanesian
Interbreeding

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