Study Reveals Ancient Population Split and Reconnection Shaped Modern Humans

New research uncovers a 1.5-million-year-old population split and genetic mixing 300,000 years ago, challenging the single-lineage theory of human evolution.

• Modern humans are the result of a population split 1.5 million years ago and a reconvergence 300,000 years ago, leading to genetic mixing between two groups.
• One ancestral population contributed 80% of the modern human genome, while the other provided 20%, with key contributions to brain function and neural processing.
• The population contributing the majority of the genome experienced a severe bottleneck, shrinking significantly before recovering over a million years.
• The study utilized the Cobraa algorithm to analyze modern human DNA, bypassing the need for ancient remains and reconstructing ancient population dynamics.
• Researchers suggest the findings could have broader implications for understanding evolution, highlighting the role of interbreeding and genetic exchange across species.

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