Razib Khan's Unsupervised Learning

Bonus monologue: man the hybrid monster

May 11, 2025
Delve into groundbreaking research on human ancestry and migration. A new genetic model reveals an extended history of two ancestral populations that diverged 1.5 million years ago, later merging in a significant admixture event. Discover how this hybridization shaped modern genomes, revealing insights into deleterious genetic variants. The discussion also highlights advancements in computational genomics, enhancing our understanding of genetic variation and population histories, shedding light on humanity's complex origins.
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INSIGHT

Humans are a Hybrid Chimera

  • Modern humans arose from a mixture of two diverged populations from 1.5 million years ago.
  • This admixture event happened about 300,000 years ago, creating our hybrid ancestry.
INSIGHT

Complex African Ancestry Models

  • African modern human origins are more complex and involve population structure and admixture.
  • Models differ on whether admixture was pulsed or continuous within Africa, unlike simpler out-of-Africa bottleneck events.
INSIGHT

Coalescent Theory Simplifies Evolution

  • Coalescent models allow tracing genetic variation back to common ancestors efficiently.
  • They simplify simulations by focusing on lineage convergence rather than complex forward evolution.
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