What New Insights Can Archeology Provide Into Homo sapiens’ Emergence from Africa?
Channel: Latest Thinking
Date: 19/09/2019

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Traditional theory holds that Homo sapiens’ first moved Out of Africa into Eurasia along coastal routes some 60,000 years ago. In this video, MICHAEL PETRAGLIA explodes this theory demonstrating that modern humans emerged from Africa much earlier and, at least some of the time, via inland routes. 
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Employing satellite imagery to identify ancient rivers and lakes in what are present-day desert regions, the team pinpointed adjacent archaeological and paleontological sites which were then precisely dated. Not only does the work present evidence that Homo sapiens was already moving Out of Africa some 200,000 years ago, but it also shows that these migrations occasionally happened inland. 
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Along with giving us a deeper understanding of the history and abilities of our ancestors, positing a link between ancient Out of Africa migration and episodes of climate change, Petraglia’s research also has fascinating relevance to contemporary debates.

About Professor Michael Petraglia:

Michael Petraglia is Professor of Human Evolution and Prehistory at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Formerly a Lecturer in Cambridge’s Faculty of Archaeology and a Professor in Oxford’s School of Archaeology and Anthropology, he has been involved with the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. since its inception. More Info:
https://www.shh.mpg.de/177921/petraglia


This LT Publication is divided into the following chapters:

0:00 Question
2:22 Method
4:00 Findings
7:05 Relevance
9:30 Outlook