Human Origin

Mitochondrial Eve estimates the place human origins to be around 155,000 years ago +/- 50,000 years. In the history of Mitochondrial Eve dating, the date has changed substantially because calculations incorporate assumptions about past mutation rates for which we will never have data. The same is true about the large error bars. That said, it is a useful tool for dating humanity. Another tool for comparison is the language tree map, which also shows that humanity originated from a single small place. Language tree map origins estimates suggest a single language emerged around 100,000 years ago +/- 20,000. These dates fall within the range of the Biblical date for the origin of humankind. Another marker that can be used to align the Bible with the Record of Nature is human migration to other continents. Humans arrived in Australia by 50,000 years ago, Europe by ~60,000 years ago, and the Americas by 16,000–23,000 years ago. Genesis 10:25 states that at the time of Peleg, the world was divided. Some hold that this refers to the separation of North America from Asia, and that people migrated to North America via the Bering land bridge just after Peleg. The Bering land bridge formed at the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 16,000 years ago. (A small group may have arrived as early as 23,000 years ago, but must have been small, as little to no trace of them has been found. The two records (as of today) put Peleg between 15,000 to 23,000 years ago. A place where the record of nature and the Bible agree completely is the foundation of civilization. Both the Bible and science agree that the Mesopotamian Valley is the origin of Human civilization. Humans are special due to their high intelligence, complex reasoning, capacity for abstract thought, and ability to create complex cultures, art, the worship of God (gods), language, writing, and technology. Science and the Bible agree that the cities of Ur and Uruk were among the earliest cities, they are between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Southern Mesopotamia is where evidence of the domestication of animals and wheat is found. Mesopotamian Valley cities made glass, wheels, jewelry, many types of art, and religious objects. Also, the earliest written records and mathematics writing (3,500 BC) are found here. Mesopotamia is called the Cradle of Civilization. From Southern Mesopotamia, civilization spread north, west, and into Egypt. Farmers grew enough food that artisans, craftsman and priests were able to specialize. All this archaeological evidence agrees with the Bible record of where civilization was founded. Some have asked: if humanity appeared so long ago, why did it take so long for human civilization to begin? Science is sometimes not good at integrating all fields of science. From human appearance to the founding of civilization, humans lived through severe ice ages. This last ice age started about 115,000 years ago and ended about 11,700 years ago. During this period, temperatures fluctuated due to intense glacial advances and warmer interstadials. This would not have provided for large-scale farming to support cities.

Mitochondrial Eve, which is the matrilineal most recent common ancestor ( 99,000 to 160,000 years ago). Y-chromosomal Adam (Y-MRCA) is the most recent common ancestor of all living humans via the patrilineal (male) line (163 and 260 thousand years ago). These dates are close the language origins dating 100,00 to 165,000 years ago.

While the Bible provides little writing about this period (Human origin to civilization), it is noteworthy that it does not record any technology that would be completely out of place in these early human times. Adam and Eve not only did not have any civilization tools, and they lacked even woven cloth.

The most complete book on the topic of Human origins and civilization is “Who is Adam” by Fazale "Fuz" Rana PhD: An American biochemist, author, and speaker for Reasons to Believe (RTB), a Christian organization that interprets scientific data through a biblical lens.

Humans are different than all other living things, past or present, as we have the Image of God. See the Image of God page for details.

Origin Place:

When dating the location of the first humans, the scientific community always places this in Africa and always uses a current map of Africa. This is WRONG, as 120,000 to 160,000 years ago was during an ice age. In this ice age, the sea levels were much lower than today, so one cannot use a current map of Africa! During this glacial period, global sea levels were up to 325 feet lower. This means the waterways (Red Sea and Persian Gulf) between Africa and the Middle East were GONE, dry. There was no separate Africa and the Middle East lnadmass; this was ONE large landmass. So the whole "out of Africa" is based on bad data and a wrong map. The Bible says mankind started in the Mesopotamian Valley; the claim is that the Bible got the location wrong. But if Africa and the Middle East were one landmass at that time, which they were, then the Bible's claim is valid! The Bible got it correct!

Sapient paradox: Humans appeared about 100,000 years ago, but did not have technology until 10,000 years ago. The Sapient paradox is solved by examining ice-age cycles. The Earth did not have a stable climate till 10,000 years ago. Without a stable climate, farms need to support cities, and high technology has not developed.

Also see: Earth's Age Page Hominids page

Note on dating:

The tools for dating items older than 50,000 years are difficult to use, as radiocarbon dating only extends back to 50,000 years ago. Carbon dating is a highly accurate scientific method for determining the age of organic materials, typically reliable for samples less than 50,000 years old and not younger than 500 years. The sample must not be contaminated.

The error bar on thermoluminescence dating is very large. Often, thermoluminescence dates are reported, but the associated large error bars are not cited. See Archaeology page

Modern Human Bones: (Homo sapiens sapiens)

Homo sapiens sapiens is the name given to modern Humans. Also called anatomically Humans.

Cheddar Man: Cheddar Man is the oldest near-complete human skeleton found in Great Britain. ~8300 BC

Iceman or Ötzi, a 5,300-year-old mummy found in the Alps, with his clothes and tools,

Cro-Magnon Man is commonly used for the modern humans who inhabited Europe from about 40,000 to 10,000 years ago. Cro-Magnon bones date from about 28,000 to 30,000 years ago. In Europe, around 45,000 to 50,000 years ago.

Cro-Magnon 1 is a nearly complete skull that belongs to an adult male from 27, 680 years ago.

All Modern Humans, Homo sapiens sapiens, have thin bones and muscles. All Hominids have thick bones and muscles, same as all the Apes.

False Claims, not Modern Humans: (why one can no longer trust those forcing an agenda, who try to push "modern humans" to an early date. Search engines often refer to these as "human", or even "modern humans", then they are about Hominids. See hominid page

The term "archaic" Homo sapiens refers to thick-boned hominids, which are not like modern humans.

Skhul and Qafzeh cave bones, ~100,000–130,000-year-old, Mount Carmel and Galilee, Israel. Archaic features. Large, thick skull bones, robust skeletons, massive brow ridges, and broad, large-molar jaws. With 27 individuals (including eight partial skeletons). A Hominid.

Homo floresiensis ("Hobbit") skeletal remains, parts of up to 15 individuals in Indonesia. On nearly complete skeletonsabout 100,000 years ago. A chimpanzee has a brain size and is about 3 feet tall. A Hominid.

Herto Remains Ethiopia ~160,000 years ago, robust bones, but not a neanderthal. Three partial skulls and parts of up to 12. A Hominid.

Apidima Cave Greece ~210,000, archaic traits, like thick bones, not a modern human. Two partial skulls. Parts of up to 6. A Hominid.

Florisbad Skull: 259,000 years ago: Heavily built skull. A single fragmentary skull. A Hominid.

Jebel Irhoud in Morocco dating back approximately 300,000 years. Has an archaic braincase, Not a human brain. Parts of up to five individuals, including parts of elongated skulls, jawbones, teeth, and limb bones. A Hominid.

Denisovans small handful of fossil fragments, no complete skeletons. from 300,000 - 146,000 years ago. Robust, thick-boned, heavy brow ridges with large brain. One skull the “Dragon Man” from 146,000 year ago.

Homo heidelbergensis (from about 700,000 to 300,000 years ago, had exceptionally thick, robust bones. Had powerful, muscular build. Up to 28 separate individuals found. One complete skull "Miguelón") and one complete pelvis. Others are parts teeth, jaws, and limb bones. A Hominid.

Homo erectus lived from about 1.9–2 million years ago to about 110,000. With a small brain. Found many parts: teeth, jawbones, skull pieces. Are about 5 feet tall. Exceptionally thick bones. Turkana Boy is the only skeleton. A Hominid.

Omo Bones from Ethiopia. ~233,000 years old. Omo skull is too fragmented to determine an exact brain size. Thick bones are not identical to humans today. Found a partial skeleton (Omo I) withpart of a skull, limbs, and vertebrae. (Omo II), two partial skulls, four jaws. A Hominid.

"Lucy" and "Dikika child" (Australopithecus afarensis): Hominid 3.2 million years ago, two partial skeletons, with a chimpanzee-sized brain. A Hominid.

Ardi hominid 6-million-year-old femur. (Ardipithecus ramidus) 60 small fragments of ape-like thick bones. A Hominid.

Ref:

1. Michael F. Palopoli et al., “Global Divergence of the Human Follicle Mite Demodex folliculorum: Persistent Associations between Host Ancestry and Mite Lineages,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 112 (December 2015): 15958–63, doi:10.1073/pnas.1512609112.

2. Kevin P. Johnson et al., “Dramatically Elevated Rate of Mitochondrial Substitution in Lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera),” Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 26 (2003): 231–42.

3. Ash Parton et al., “Alluvial Fan Records from Southeast Arabia Reveal Multiple Windows for Human Dispersal,” Geology 43 (April 2015): 295–98.

4. Aaron W. Kolb, Cécile Ané, and Curtis R. Brandt, “Using HSV-1 Genome Phylogenetics to Track Past Human Migrations,” PLoS One 8 (October 2013): e76267, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0076267.

5. Quentin D. Atkinson, “Phonemic Diversity Supports a Serial Founder Effect Model of Language Expansion from Africa,” Science 332 (April 15, 2011): 346–49.