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From:
Subject: Re: Most recent common ancestors
Date: 16 Jan 2006 05:23:17 -0800
References: <1137338990.456458.231910@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com> <mo4ms15t5bs77ev0ds8bhs690882gdmb15@4ax.com>
In-Reply-To: <mo4ms15t5bs77ev0ds8bhs690882gdmb15@4ax.com>


Denis Beauregard wrote:
> On 15 Jan 2006 07:29:50 -0800, wrote in
> soc.genealogy.medieval:
>
> >(Also published at http://www.livejournal.com/users/nhw/563512.html )
> >
> >Doug Rohde's paper on the most recent common ancestor of all humanity
> >(http://tedlab.mit.edu/~dr/Papers/Rohde-MRCA-two.pdf) is, I think, well
> >known to most here. In my voiew it is by far the most interesting of
> >the numerous pieces of research cited by Mark Humphrys
> >(http://humphrysfamilytree.com/ca.html) on this topic. Rohde's computer
> >simulations gave results of between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago for the
> >lifetime of the most recent common ancestor of all humanity.
>
> Must be junk ! If you check artefacts from 3000 years ago, you will
> see that "racial" features were already defined at that time, i.e.
> color of skin or shape of eyes. Since these features survived because
> of separated cultures (i.e. in a world where there is no racism, I
> think those differences are vanishing after many interracial
> weddings). So, if those features already existed 3000 years ago, how
> can you explain the common ancestors are so late.

Because their genetic inheritance is diluted. Read the paper, you may
be surprised.

> Moreover, Americas were isolated from Asia at least 15,000 years ago.

What, completely isolated? The Russians claim to have been settling
Alaska since 1648. You're telling me not a single tribesman made it
across the stratits in the previous 14600 years?

Nicholas

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