Ancient Fossils Indicate Human Inbreeding Was Common
Ancient fossils indicate that human inbreeding was common.
Skull fossils from early humans that were found in northern China may provide evidence of inbreeding among our ancient ancestors according to a new study.
The piece of skull was studied by a team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences working with Washington University in St. Louis and is believed to be about 100 thousand years old.
It shows signs of a congenital deformation, known as enlarged parietal foramen, or EPF that is rare in modern humans.
EPF is a genetic mutation that stops the closure of small holes in the skull.
Only one in 25 thousand modern humans are born with this mutation.
But fossil samples from the Pleistocene era with EPF and other genetic mutations are quite common.
The co-author of the study, Erik Trinkaus, a professor of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis said: “The probability of finding…these abnormalities in the small available sample of human fossils is very low. The presence of the Xujiayao and other Pleistocene human abnormalities therefore suggests unusual population dynamics.”
What do you think? Could it be that inbreeding was common among our ancient ancestors?
Skull fossils from early humans that were found in northern China may provide evidence of inbreeding among our ancient ancestors according to a new study.
The piece of skull was studied by a team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences working with Washington University in St. Louis and is believed to be about 100 thousand years old.
It shows signs of a congenital deformation, known as enlarged parietal foramen, or EPF that is rare in modern humans.
EPF is a genetic mutation that stops the closure of small holes in the skull.
Only one in 25 thousand modern humans are born with this mutation.
But fossil samples from the Pleistocene era with EPF and other genetic mutations are quite common.
The co-author of the study, Erik Trinkaus, a professor of Anthropology in Arts & Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis said: “The probability of finding…these abnormalities in the small available sample of human fossils is very low. The presence of the Xujiayao and other Pleistocene human abnormalities therefore suggests unusual population dynamics.”
What do you think? Could it be that inbreeding was common among our ancient ancestors?
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