Genetic Data Contradicts Multiregional Hypothesis

  • Study 3 (small population size)

    • Nuclear DNA sequences

    • Alu insertions

    • HLA exons

    • mtDNA mismatch distributions

    • frequency spectra (mtDNA, Y-chr)

    • allele size vs. homozygosity at tandem repeat loci

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Slide 65 of 109


Seven independent measures of genetic diversity among human populations indicate that the founding human population must have been very small.1 This genetic evidence contradicts the multiregional hypothesis, which requires the presence of large interbreeding populations of hominids.


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  1. Harpending, H.C., et al. 1998. Genetic traces of ancient demography. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95: 1961-1967.


Last Modified June 21, 2006