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Ch. 24 - Speciation

Chapter 23, Problem 13

A revolution in the study of human evolution is under way thanks to the invention of techniques that enable DNA sequencing of not only modern humans, but also ancient humans. Modern humans (Homo sapiens) and archaic humans called Neanderthals (H. neanderthalensis) shared a common ancestor in Africa but diverged in different geographic areas. When modern humans migrated out of Africa and dispersed around the world starting about 100,000 years ago, they overlapped with Neanderthals in Europe. This scenario is best described as a. species living in sympatry following allopatric speciation b. species living in sympatry following sympatric speciation c. species living in allopatry following allopatric speciation d. species living in allopatry following sympatric speciation

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Hi everyone, let's look at our next question, it says, identify the correct statement about the evolution of modern humans. And let's just look over our answer choices really briefly and we note that we have choice d saying all statements are correct. So there's a possibility that all of the top three choices are correct. So let's look through our answer choices. Choice A says both neanderthals and anatomically modern humans were initially thought to have evolved from homo erectus. Well this is true. So I'm going to I'm not going to select this are correct answer, since we have the possibility that all are correct. But make a little note there. Um It was initially thought that both neanderthals and modern humans evolved about 200 to 300,000 years ago from homo erectus homo erectus emerged about 1.8 million years ago and spread throughout Eurasia. But more recent fossil discoveries have led the belief that neanderthals and modern humans. So say homo sapiens. Since that's modern humans shared a different so not home erectus, common ancestor in africa and that neanderthals or the ancestor of neanderthals migrated out of africa and ended up in europe. Well, the ancestor of homo sapiens remained in africa for a long time. Then eventually much later almost sapiens migrated also out of europe. I mean out of africa spreading out throughout the world and ending up encountering neanderthals when they reach europe and when they encountered them, they intermixed, they interbreed with each other. So we see now that the two lines, the ancestor of homo sapiens and ancestors and neanderthals diverged at this point with neanderthals being in europe ancestor of modern humans remaining in africa and diverging from each other and then re encountering and mixing with each other later. So let's go onto Choice B. Here. It says modern humans evolved from an ancient ancestor that lived in europe. Well this is not correct there. The ancient ancestor that they evolved from was in africa. So Choice B is not correct. That also means choice D. Can't be correct since we know that not all the choices are correct. And then Choice C. Says modern humans evolved independently of neanderthals. Well this is not correct because they shared a common ancestor back in africa. So they did sort of diverge when they moved into different geographical areas but originally had a common ancestor in africa. So Choice C. Is not correct. So the correct statement about the evolution of modern humans is that both neanderthals and anatomically modern humans were initially thought to have evolved from homo erectus. See you in the next video
Related Practice
Textbook Question

All over the world, natural habitats are being fragmented into tiny islands by suburbs, ranches, farms, and roads. If asked to join a science panel to speak to Congress, could you explain how this fragmentation process could lead to extinction? How it could lead to speciation?

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Textbook Question

A revolution in the study of human evolution is under way thanks to the invention of techniques that enable DNA sequencing of not only modern humans, but also ancient humans. Human populations today are not considered separate species under the biological species, morphospecies, and phylogenetic concepts. Explain what kind of evidence supports this statement.

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Textbook Question

A revolution in the study of human evolution is under way thanks to the invention of techniques that enable DNA sequencing of not only modern humans, but also ancient humans. Before the application of DNA sequencing to fossils, which species concept was most useful for distinguishing human fossils? What is one disadvantage of this approach?

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Textbook Question

Svante Pääbo and colleagues were the first to sequence the Neanderthal genome from fossils and compare the sequences to modern humans. According to the data shown here, did the two species interbreed when they overlapped in Europe? Explain.

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Textbook Question

If you sequenced the DNA of all your classmates, you would probably observe that the percentage of Neanderthal genes in their genomes varies from 0–4%. How would you know whether there is a significant difference in percentage between students with blue eyes and students with brown eyes?

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Textbook Question

Neanderthals disappeared about 40,000 years ago when the modern human population increased. This is an example of what outcome(s) of secondary contact (see Table 24.4)? Predict one way this result might have come about.

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