Discovered the first settlement of Homo Sapiens outside of Africa

Using genetic, paleoecological and archaeological evidence, scientists reveal that the Iranian highlands were vital Homo sapiens a center of concentration in the early stages of their migration from Africa.

For about 20,000 years, this region is likely to have been a place where a large Homo sapiens population, before people dispersed throughout Eurasia and other countries.

This means that the ancestors of all non-Africans lived in the Iranian highlands about 20,000 years after the migration from Africa.

The Iranian Highlands is a vast highland region in southwest Asia, located east of the Zagros Mountains in present-day Iran, as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan. Surrounded by the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Mediterranean Sea, the area was an ideal environment for larger populations to develop.

“This discovery explains 20,000 years Homo sapiens the part of history outside of Africa, that is, the period during which we interacted with Neanderthal populations. It also sheds light on the relationships between different Eurasian populations, providing crucial clues to understanding the demographic history of our species in Europe, East Asia and Oceania,” study first author Leonardo Vallini of the University of Padua in Italy said in a statement.

To reach these conclusions, the team analyzed genetic data from prehistoric and modern human populations and found that the inhabitants of the Iranian highlands share close ancestral links with the population that first settled outside of Africa.

The researchers also performed paleoecological modeling, which showed that the region was much more hospitable than other potential centers of human settlement after the out-of-Africa expansion.

“Our multidisciplinary study provides a more coherent picture of the ancient past, allowing us to look at the important period between the expansion out of Africa and the differentiation of Eurasian populations,” said study co-author Professor Michael Petraglia. “The Iranian Highlands emerges as a key region, highlighting the need for further archaeological exploration.”

The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Prepared by IFLScience.