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#965 Eleanor Scerri: The Origins and Dispersal of H. Sapiens

The Dissenter

CHAPTER

Challenges in Inferring Human Origins from DNA Analysis

The chapter critiques a paper on human origins based on mitochondrial DNA analysis in South Africa, highlighting limitations in data informativeness and assumptions of population continuity. It explains the challenges of using mitochondrial DNA for ancestry analysis and making precise inferences about deep population history without ancient DNA. The chapter delves into the complexities and biases in determining human origins and emphasizes the importance of accurate scientific communication and understanding the dynamic nature of human evolution.

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