Post by Catsmate on Sept 22, 2016 11:14:59 GMT
Some interesting new research in Nature has changed out understanding of how humans spread across the Earth after originating in Africa. For a long time the consensus was that
human migration from Africa was a single wave, sometime around 40,000 to 80,000 years BP. While this was steadily weakened by a number of archaeological and genetic finds it's not until now that there is pretty definite but that this assumption is almost true and evidence of two waves, one of which failed almost entirely.
To summarise; almost all living humans are descended from a wave of humans that left Africa between 50,000 and 80,000 years BP but an earlier wave of expansion did occur, as early as 120,000 years ago this group didn't survive, with the exception of the original inhabitants of Papua New Guinea. Around 2% of them show DNA evidence of and earlier migration wave.
This raises a number of gaming possibilities.
1. A relatively easy way to make huge changes in humanity, by helping/eliminating small groups in the migration.
2. Investigating why the earlier wave failed; climate, conflict with established Neanderthals, wiped out by later colonists or something more outré, like being kidnapped en-masse by time travelling Transhumanists seeking slaves, being colonised as hosts by self-aware nanomachine clouds, alien intervention, hostile Silurians with a bio-engineered anti-ape plague et cetera.
3. Finally there's always the problems academics investigating this event, using time travel, causing problems or getting in trouble. Perhaps they're the cause of the
More.
Nature.
Discover.
BBC.
New York Times.
human migration from Africa was a single wave, sometime around 40,000 to 80,000 years BP. While this was steadily weakened by a number of archaeological and genetic finds it's not until now that there is pretty definite but that this assumption is almost true and evidence of two waves, one of which failed almost entirely.
To summarise; almost all living humans are descended from a wave of humans that left Africa between 50,000 and 80,000 years BP but an earlier wave of expansion did occur, as early as 120,000 years ago this group didn't survive, with the exception of the original inhabitants of Papua New Guinea. Around 2% of them show DNA evidence of and earlier migration wave.
This raises a number of gaming possibilities.
1. A relatively easy way to make huge changes in humanity, by helping/eliminating small groups in the migration.
2. Investigating why the earlier wave failed; climate, conflict with established Neanderthals, wiped out by later colonists or something more outré, like being kidnapped en-masse by time travelling Transhumanists seeking slaves, being colonised as hosts by self-aware nanomachine clouds, alien intervention, hostile Silurians with a bio-engineered anti-ape plague et cetera.
3. Finally there's always the problems academics investigating this event, using time travel, causing problems or getting in trouble. Perhaps they're the cause of the
More.
Nature.
Discover.
BBC.
New York Times.