On Humans Beyond Race: A New Outlook on the Shape of Humanity ~ Diyendo Massilani
Dec 1, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Diyendo Massilani, a researcher at Yale School of Medicine specializing in ancient DNA and human adaptations, explores the complexities of human evolution and genetic diversity. He reveals counter-intuitive insights about the Out of Africa theory and emphasizes the deep genetic divergences within African populations. Massilani also highlights how superficial traits can mislead us and shares fascinating details on how lighter skin evolved in response to environmental pressures. Mixing and admixture, he argues, are key to understanding human innovation.
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Choosing 'Other Human' On Forms
- An organizer at the symposium stopped using 'Asian' or 'Asian-Indian' on forms and now ticks 'other human.'
- The remark illustrates discomfort with outdated racial labels among scholars.
Clarifying 'Out Of Africa' Timing
- Out of Africa means modern humans emerged in Africa and a subset migrated out to colonize the world.
- Earlier exits occurred but left no ancestry in living people, while one later exit gave rise to non-African populations.
Deep Diversity Within Africa
- Major human genetic branching happened within Africa long before the out-of-Africa event.
- Some African groups diverged ~300,000 years ago, creating deeper diversity than between Europeans and Asians.