Australian Aboriginal DNA Suggests 70,000-Year History

brindafella writes with a link to an abstract at the journal Science that says "Scientists have obtained a DNA genomic sequence from a 100-year-old, voluntarily donated hair sample from a full-blood Australian Aboriginal man. [Analysis of the hair] shows 'Aboriginal Australians are descendants of an early human dispersal into eastern Asia, possibly 62,000 to 75,000 years ago. This dispersal is separate from the one that gave rise to modern Asians 25,000 to 38,000 years ago. ... [Their] findings support the hypothesis that present-day Aboriginal Australians descend from the earliest humans to occupy Australia, likely representing one of the oldest continuous populations outside Africa.' A news story gives more detail."

Comments

Re:Lineage

[DNS-and-BIND]

You know, that condescending attitude that they need to be 'helped' in order to become 'normal' (i.e. just like you) is the worst sort of racism. If they want to drink, that's their choice and nobody can tell them otherwise. So-called welfare is their money, they deserve it 100% and they'll spend it however they please.

great history

[Same2cool]

great history; Technology forums

Better not tell Rick Perry

[feidaykin]

I know this is horribly OT but I can't resist. Rick Perry says evolution is full of holes and that nobody knows how old the Earth is (with the clear implication that he's pandering to the fundamentalists that say it's 6000 years old). So when I see an article like this about the real, actual science behind human origins I can't help but feel a combination of shame and rage that a candidate for the highest office in the United States is essentially sticking his fingers in his ears and saying "La la la, I can't hear you, reality."