We are 340,000 years old

[M.D. Holloway]

Interesting...

DNA evidence has revealed that the oldest known common male ancestor is 340,000 years old, more than twice as old as previous estimates.

New Scientist reports that the sample comes from a recently deceased man named Albert Perry. After the African-American South Carolina man died, one of his relatives submitted a sample of his DNA to a company called Family Tree DNA for analysis.

The findings were published in the The American Journal of Human Genetics and may require researchers to adjust the known timeline of humankind’s evolution.

And the historical mark came at something of a bargain—the company does historical DNA analysis on individuals for about $150.

All previously compared DNA samples pointed to a common Y chromosome traced back to man who lived between 60,000 and 140,000 years ago. But Perry’s DNA sample broke the trend, not matching up with this common ancestor.

"It's a cool discovery," Jon Wilkins of the Ronin Institute in Montclair, N.J., told New Scientist. "We geneticists have been looking at Y chromosomes about as long as we've been looking at anything. Changing where the root of the Y-chromosome tree is at this point is extremely surprising."

After the initial tests on Perry’s DNA, geneticists at the University of Arizona conducted further tests to confirm the anomaly. The Y chromosome in Perry’s test matched up with those of 11 men who all lived in one village in Cameroon.

University of Arizona researcher Michael Hammer says Perry’s DNA suggests there may have been an earlier species of humans that went extinct—but not before interbreeding with the more modern version of man.

Father of all humankind is 340,000 years old | The Sideshow - Yahoo! News

[HardDrive]

Impossible. The 700 Club told me the earth is 5000 years old.

[dipso]

For 335,000 years we must of lived somewhere else.

[rusnak]

It's clear that the Homo Sapien tree shares roots with other species.
Neanderthal Sex: Modern Humans Ended Interbreeding After Migrating From Africa, Study Suggests

They say that interbreeding between Neanderthals and humans was more common near Neanderthal prefered hunting grounds. This would be near Portugal, northern Italy, and near Russia's Caspian Sea.

Some people have as much as 2% to 4%(!) Neanderthal dna. Of course, not every Neanderthal gene is switched "on" but still that is surprising. OTOH, you can just look at some people and just know they have some other type of dna swimming around in there.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by rusnak

It's clear that the Homo Sapien tree shares roots with other species.

here is some proof...

[imcarthur]

Fascinating. FTDNA is going to have to upgrade their results page. They still show the Y-Chromosome Adam as only ~60K years old. I am part of the R1a strain.

Ian

[cantdrv55]

Originally Posted by RWebb

here is some proof...

Uh oh. Now you've done it. Countdown to Michelle and a pic of Chewbacca.

[scottmandue]

You don't look a day over 300,000!

[Rick Lee]

Some people have as much as 2% to 4%(!) Neanderthal dna.

That seems like a very conservative estimate around PPOT and PARF.

[flatbutt]

"...For 335,000 years we must of lived somewhere else..."

HAVE...must HAVE lived....

[Chocaholic]

335,000 years is a brief moment in time considering the age of the earth and the millions of years the earth was inhabited prior to Homo Sapiens.

[M.D. Holloway]

Yup, seems to me that just maybe something was here way before us it it got real smart and adaptive...prolly hangin out getting a big laugh at how stupid we are...

[cashflyer]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

"...For 335,000 years we must of lived somewhere else..."

HAVE...must HAVE lived....

Sounds like that must of been one of your hot buttons.

[pwd72s]

I feel every day of it...

[JavaBrewer]

In before moving to PARF.

[mossguy]

Originally Posted by cashflyer

Sounds like that must of been one of your hot buttons.

HAVE been..... must HAVE been..

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

"...For 335,000 years we must of lived somewhere else..."

HAVE...must HAVE lived....

Must've.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by LubeMaster77

Yup, seems to me that just maybe something was here way before us it it got real smart and adaptive...prolly hangin out getting a big laugh at how stupid we are...

Don't short yourself. Someday you will make a fine adult.

[M.D. Holloway]

Don't count on it!

[mossguy]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

Must've.

Better yet!