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Humans First Arose in Asia?

IZ Reloaded writes "Two archaeologists are proposing the idea that early humans first arose in Asia instead of Africa as previously thought. These early humans then migrate out of Asia to parts of the world. From National Geographic: 'The unresolved status of the intriguing Flores finds attributed to H. floresiensis leaves open the possibility that this species is the end result and last survivor of an ancient migration of very primitive humans, or even prehumans, that formerly existed more widely across Asia ... '"

6 of 622 comments (clear)

  1. Except for the other guys... by Krach42 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We have tons of data points showing homo sapiens evolved in Africa. So many of the missing links like Lucy and other members of the homo tree have all been found in Africa.

    I'm not debating their points (I've not read the article yet), but it would seem to require us to throw out the data that we already have. If homo species migrated to the rest of the world from Asia, then it would have requires Lucy, a relatively primitive human to have gotten to Africa, then start a long series of descendents and multiple branches of evolution there, eventually resulting in homo sapiens.

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    I am unamerican, and proud of it!
    1. Re:Except for the other guys... by Krach42 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yeah, after having read the article, it appears that they're pushing for that kind of an interpretation.

      Most accurately, the scientists are saying we can't rule out that they might have come from Asia (the area near Georgia, not far east Asia) since the conditions there were very much the same as they were in Africa millions of years ago.

      It's more like the scientists are saying "this is a possibility that is being exposed more and more," and of course the media jumps on it as usual with "OMG, this scientist is asking if we might be from Asia." Presenting it as if the scientiests are more confident about their probability than they likely actually are.

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      I am unamerican, and proud of it!
  2. Re:On the first day.. by Ruff_ilb · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Ah yes, but religion is so CONVENIENT. It means that often the believer needs to make no personal moral decisions (your religion makes absolute moral decisions for you), and everyone's split into two camps: People that are going to Heaven (usually believers) and people that are going to Hell (usually everyone else). Often the sheer convenience and lifelong training in a religion overrides a personal quest for scientific truth.

    Furthurmore, in times where science would say to you "Hey man, you're 100% screwed!" religion can give a more optimistic answer. It's easy to decry religion when you're sitting in front of your LCD or CRT, but it's can give hope to the otherwise hopeless if they think that an all-powerful, all-knowing being is watching over their backs ready to send them to paradise when they die.

    I have no problem with religion whatsoever. However, I think that religion should stay in churches (for example) and science should stay in schools, universities, etc. Everything has its time and place.

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  3. In parallel? by chill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wouldn't it be possible that pre-humans migrated to different locations and finished their evolution separately? Considering Neandrathals are no longer considered in a direct evolutionary line to modern humans, that indicates a separate branch of evolution.

    Distinctly different environments, like Asia and Africa, could account for something like this. Multiple evolutionary paths, occurring in multiple physical locations on the planet. Why do scientists seem so attached to the "Eve" theory?

      -Charles

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    Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
    1. Re:In parallel? by Ken+Broadfoot · · Score: 4, Insightful

      We are attached to the Eve theory because we can bear children with any different human race on the planet. Separate evolutions would have lead to speciation. And speciation precludes baby makin'.

      --ken

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  4. Re:It doesn't matter... by damsa · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I dunno about western culture. Here in the Northwest region of America, every block there is either Indian, Sushi, Thai, Teriyaki or Chinese food. If you watch movies like the Matrix, you see Asian influenced martial arts. If you play video games you are most likely playing a Nintendo or a Playstation. If you watch cartoons, you are most likely watching a Japanese animated story.

    It's a myth that the Chinese didn't use gun powder as weapons. In fact they did. In fact the idea of a Chinese person is also a myth. It's like the myth of an American person. That's why they are successful. They were one of the first places that took disparate groups and held it under one rule as one people, even though quite a few of the inhabitants spoke different languages and were of differerent "races". You might argue that the Romans did that as well, but they failed to hold on to it.