One extreme hypothesis argues

that the transformation occurred as a gradual change within

all populations of Homo erectus wherever they existed, leading

to the near-simultaneous appearance of multiple populations

of modern humans in Africa and Eurasia

an alternative hypothesis views

modern humans as having a recent, single origin (in Africa),

followed by population expansion into the rest of the Old

World that replaced established nonmodern populations.

In this scenario, the genetic roots of modern geographical

populations of Homo sapiens are very shallow, going back perhaps

100,000 years. Other possibilities exist as intermediate

positions between these two extremes.

The multiple-origins, or multiregional, hypothesis. This hypothesis attempts to explain

not only the origin of Homo sapiens, but also the existence

of anatomical diversity in modern geographical populations. (through

adaptation and genetic drift), limited gene flow, but persistence known as regional continuity.

multiregional evolution

hypothesis. It views the erectus-to-sapiens transformation as

a balance between the maintenance of distinctive regional

traits in anatomy through partial population isolation and

the maintenance of a genetically coherent network of populations

throughout the Old World through significant gene

flow.

single-origin hypothesis The hypothesis views the establishment of

regional anatomical traits in today’s geographic populations

as the result of adaptation and genetic drift in local populations

during the last 100,000 years.

Anatomically modern humans are characterized by a reduction

in skeletal robusticity and the development of modern

striding, bipedal locomotion. Nevertheless, these people

were still more robust than modern-day humans

North African

origin for modern humans, with the Middle East as part of

the same ecological zone. Others left open the possibility that

the Middle East itself was the region of origin. The strikingly

modern form of the Omo 1 (Kibish) brain case dated at as

much as 130,000 years old, and the 160,000-year-old Herto

fossils

The origin of modern humans was undoubtedly complex, involving

much population movement at different times, and

local population expansions and extinctions. , the

weight of evidence offers more support for some form of

single-origin hypothesis than for the multiregional evolution

hypothesis.