OutofAfrica

Out of Africa is a term used in human evolution to describe the origin of anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) in Africa and their subsequent dispersal to other continents. The core idea, often called the African replacement or recent African origin model, holds that modern humans evolved in Africa and later migrated outward, largely replacing local archaic human populations with limited interbreeding.

Evidence from fossils and genetics supports this view. In Africa, some of the oldest fossils that are broadly classified as Homo sapiens date to roughly 300,000 years ago, with notable early examples from sites such as Jebel Irhoud in Morocco and Omo Kibish in Ethiopia. Outside Africa, the oldest anatomically modern human remains appear later, and populations across the Old World show patterns of descent that trace back to African ancestors. Genetic data strengthen the case, showing that modern human genetic diversity is greatest among African groups and that all non-African populations derive much of their ancestry from a relatively recent migration out of Africa, estimated at about 60,000 to 80,000 years ago. The picture also includes admixture events with archaic humans, such as Neanderthals in Europe and the Denisovans in Asia, indicating a more complex history than simple replacement.

The out-of-Africa model is now the dominant framework in paleoanthropology, though it recognizes that multiple dispersals and gene flow occurred. The term is sometimes distinguished from earlier, multiregional hypotheses, which proposed parallel evolution in different regions. Today, researchers describe the modern human origin as Africa-based with later migrations and admixture shaping the genetic landscape of populations worldwide. See also: Mitochondrial Eve, Y-chromosome Adam, Neanderthal and Denisovan admixture.