In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
LOS ANGELES TIMES - Friday, November 24, 1995
Study Suggests All Men Have Common Ancestor
From Associated Press
NEW YORK-Every man on Earth today is
related, linked by a Y chromosome to a common ancestor who lived about 190,000
years ago, a study suggests.
This so-called ancestral Adam was among many males who lived before anatomically
modern humans evolved, but he's the only one purported in the study to have
a genetic legacy that persists today. "We would all have a Y chromosome
that existed in the same guy," said Michael Hammer, an assistant research
scientist at the University of Arizona whose study appeared Thursday in
the journal Nature.
The Y chromosome is the of the 24 kinds of microscopic threads that hold
genes. Unlike the other chromosomes, it is passed only from father to son.
Hammer compared the detailed makeup of a tiny piece of the Y chromosome
sampled from eight Africans of various backgrounds, two Australians, three
Japanese and two Europeans. The idea was to look for how varied that piece
was among the different ethnic groups, and then calculate how long it would
take for evolution to produce the diversity he found.
The results suggest that all men alive today could trace their Y chromosomes
back for about 188,000 years to the same person.
. Hammer said the study suggests that the ancestor lived just before anatomically
modern humans appeared around 100,000 years ago, a date that is in some
dispute among scientists.
While many scientists say anatomically modern people arose about 100,000
years ago in Africa, others say modern humans arose in different parts of
the world at different times.
Hammer said his findings also suggest a single place of origin. The findings
don't indicate where, but Africa is a good bet, he said.
The study found evidence that modern-day humans resulted from a relatively
small breeding population. The group was so small that it's hard to believe
its members could have been spread over more than one continent, Hammer
said. Added Reference:
The Holy Quran, Surah An-Nisaa (The Women), Verse 1 (Translation by Abdullah Y. Ali)
In The Name of Allah, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful
1. O Mankind! fear your Guardian Lord, Who created you from a single Person,
Created, out of it, his mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds)
countless
men and women; - fear Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights),
and be heedful of the wombs (that bore you); for Allah ever watches
over you.
