NathanNish

ResearchPaper
Anthropology

ModelsofEvolution

Itsinterestingthattherearetwomodelstoexplainmodernhumanorigins.Onetheory,
theReplacementModel,saysthatpeoplekilledoffothertribesoverandoveragainuntilsome
migratedawayandevolvedtomodernhumans.Thismodelpropagatesthatanyone
premodernwas,infact,killedoffbyourancestorsinordertomakewayforthenewermodels.
Theother,somewhatlessacceptedmodelseemstoechobacktoDarwinsfinchesandhis
subsequentwriting,TheOriginofSpecies,inwhichmultiregionalfinchesevolved
independently.Thismodel,knownastheRegionalContinuityModelorMultiregionalModel,
adequatelyexplainswherepeoplecomefromalbeitbycitingforoneoftheseregions,Africa.
TheOutofAfricamodelisconvenient.Itdoesntchallengemuchofwhatweteach
societies,andfromacreationismvs.evolutionismstandpoint,thetheoryismuchmore
palatable.Foronetextbook,OurOrigins:DiscoveringPhysicalAnthropology,itmeansthat
noonewillhavetorewriteanythingformanyyearssincetheMultiregionalmodelisnteven
mentionedasofitsmostrecentpublicationin2011.(Larsen,2008.)Mostpeopleseem
contentwiththeReplacementModel:Homosapiensapiensancestorsoutcompete,orwin
theylimitedtheirinterbreedingandconqueredothers.Withthisinmind,itseasytoseewhy
manymightlooktothisasthecorrectmodel:Wecompeteforresourcesinthejobmarket,we
continuetolimitourinterbreedingthroughtraditionalmonogamousmarriage,andwestillwage
wars.Thisiseasilyrelatableinmostcasesandrequiresminimalefforttoaccept.
OnereasonfortheReplacementModelswideacceptanceisthatithasthatpesky
characteristicscientistsrefertoasevidence.Theevidenceavailablesuggeststhattheearliest
fossilsalwaysdatebacktoAfrica:Andnotonlyforfossils,butalsoDNA.Thisiscompletely

true,whenyourelookingatfossilsfromAfrica.Theproblem,then,ariseswhenanAustralian
namedAlanThornefindsinconsistentfossilsinAustraliaandlater,inIndonesia.Hegoesonto
workwithProfessorMilfordWolpoffoftheUniversityofMichigantodevelopthismodel,
althoughbothareworkingfromasomewhatmoreobscureworkdonein1942byFranz
Weidenreich.WeidenreichpostulatedaboutPolycentricEvolution,whicheventuallybecame
synonymouswiththeMultiregionalModel.Thismodelsuggeststhatmodernhumansevolved
fromatleastthreelocalpopulations,includingAfrica,Asia,andEurope.(Templeton,2007.)
Whateverthereason,RegionalContinuityisntverypopular.Althoughoneidea,thatof
thelandmassPangea,iswidelyaccepted:TheReplacementModelassumesthat,whilethis
massoflandknownasPangeaexisted,everyoneknewthatthiswastheplacewewouldone
daycallAfrica,sotheystayedtheresolelytoprovetheReplacementModel.Hardtobelieve?
Agreed.However,opponentsoftheMultiregionalModelsuggestthatspeciationwouldntoccur
thatwayandthattherearenofossilsinEuropeorAsiatosupportanysuchclaims.Themost
simpleanswersherearethattherewouldhavehadtobesignificantgeneflowbetween
civilizationsandthatwehavenotyetfoundthefossilsthatwouldbestsupportaRegional
ContinuityModel.
Luckily,somescientistshaveaknackforargumentation.AlanThorne,asmentioned,
alongwithMilfordWolpoffandXinzhiWuproposedtheMultiregionalModelinthemid1980s
severalyearsafterWeidenreichcompletedhiswork.However,Weidenreichhadaslight
distinctioninhisownwork:HesaidthathumanscamefromAustralia,Mongolia,SouthAfrica,
andEurasia.Whilenotallthatdifferentfromtheoriginalthreeregions,thespecificityis
noteworthy.XinzhiWufoundthefollowing:"themorphologyoftheDalicraniumdiffers
markedlyfromthatofH.erectusfromZhoukoudianiftheYinkouspecimenisactually280,000
yearsoldasitisdated,thereraisesanewproblem[of]whethertherearetwoseparatelineages

ofhumanevolutioninChina."(Andrews&Stringer,1988.)Withthisknowledge,itcanbeseen
thatAfricaandAsiaarealmostcertainlyconfirmed,makingtheReplacementModelalesser
modelatbest.
WhataboutthesetwoseparatelineagesofhumanevolutioninChina,then?Ifwecan
confirmAfricaandAsia,maybeEurasiaisntallthatfarofastretch,ashypothesizedby
WeidenreichandhintedatbyWusownresearch.ThisleavesuswithAustralia/Indonesia:
What,exactly,didAlanThornefind?TheevidenceThornefoundwasataplacecalledLake
Mungo.There,hediscoveredsomefossilsabout25,000yearsoldbynomeansageworthy
enoughtowritehomeabout.However,henoticedthefossilwasdifferentfromeverythingelse
intheregion:Wherethick,tallboneswerethenormthefossilsfoundweremuchmorethin.
Thethinbones,then,madehimwonder:Howdidamoreadvancedspecimencomeintobeing
atthesametimeaslessadvancedspecimens?
Toanswerthis,ThornescolleagueMilfordWolpoffconductedsomeresearchwith
UniversityofUtahprofessorJohnHawks.Theirresearchfound:Wecanconcludethatspecial
phenomenasuchasnearcompleteisolationoftheEuropeanpopulationduringthePleistocene
arenotrequiredtoexplainthepatternofevolutioninthisregion.(Hawks&Wolpoff,2001.)If
thephenomenasuchasnearcompleteisolationwasnotrequiredtoexplaintheEuropean
patternofevolution,whywouldntthesamebetrueforAustralia?Therearelikelytwolineages
ofhumanevolutionpresentinChina,andowingtoamerelackofevidenceisnotitselfevidence
againstadditionallineageselsewhere.IfbothcouldbereachedonPangea300millionyears
ago(beginningtobreakapartatabout175millionyearsago,severalthousandyearsinto
commonancestralhominidevolution,)thenAustraliaandEuropesconditionsmaynothave
beenallthatdifferentatsomepointsovertime.

Toprovidetwomodels,then,whiledisagreeingwithamoreencompassingmodel,
seemslikeredundantwatertreading.ToaccepttheReplacementModelasfinaloffersno
furtherinsightintowhatcouldbeaworthwhilescientificinvestigativeresearch,leavingfurther
researchpaddlingonthemidareaoftheanthropologypool.Itsmoreorlessadeadend.
UsingtheRegionalContinuityModeloffersmorechancesforresearchthatcanfurtherthefield
ofanthropology,byallowingusglimpsesofthingswedontyetunderstandinordertobetterget
toknowthem.

References:
PeterAndrewsandChrisStringer.ModernHumanOrigins:Response.
Science,

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Vol.241,No.4867(1988):p.774.Periodical.
Larsen,ClarkSpencer.OurOrigins:DiscoveringPhysicalAnthropology.NewYork:W.W.
Norton,2008.Book.
AlanTempleton.GeneticsandRecentHumanEvolution.
Evolution,
Vol.61,No.7(2007):p.
1509.Periodical.
JohnHawksandMilfordWolpoff.TheAccretionModelofNeandertalEvolution.
Evolution,
Vol.55,No.7(2001):p.14741485.Periodical.