Pen and ink drawing of New Zealand scientist, Professor Allan Wilson (d. 1991)
In the news: The ancient origins of New Zealanders
Published in The Press, Dominion Post and syndicated provincial papers on 15 Jan 2017:
Aotearoa was the final destination of a very long journey that began in Africa over 65,000 years ago. Whether you’re a red-headed country music singer in Gore or a Filipino dairy worker in Dannevirke, your ancestral homeland is Africa.
When a small band of modern humans filtered out of Africa into Europe and Asia, they encountered other human types who had arrived there hundreds of thousands of years before. Our new breed of taller, seemingly more “savvy” and better equipped men and women, co-existed with Neanderthals for at least 10,000 years before they died out, whether through force or happenstance.
Our common ancestor was Homo erectus. We were not yet so different from Neanderthals that we couldn’t interbreed. The encounters were rare and rarely productive but nevertheless, everyone today who is NOT of pure African descent carries a small percentage of Neanderthal DNA, about 2% – slightly more in Asian populations who seem to have had additional, later encounters. Those Neanderthal jokes about our colleagues and former boyfriends have rebounded on us. See more at:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/100455675/the-ancient-origins-of-new-zealanders
Information and research provided by Professor Lisa Matisoo-Smith FRSNZ, University of Otago.
Pictured: Lisa (left) and lab assistant, Olga, taking DNA samples in Midland Park, Wellington, 2015, for survey of the ancient origins of New Zealanders