Student

African Origin of Humankind Part I The first humankind was an African. From there, all people of the planet earth were created by migration, genetic divergence, and constant mixing with other groups. The latest scientific discovery in Kenya of a fossil revealed the complexity on the evolution of humankind, which was more than three million years old. In the following paragraphs I will provide the evidence and show how it fits into the idea of human origin. Many discoveries around the world in the department of paleontology exposed the complex evolution of the humankind. During my research I found that according to the magazine “Nature,” a fossil found in Kenya was an approximately 3.5 million year old skull. Originally, it was thought that the human linkage had been traced back to an ancestral genus called the Australopithecines (the “Southern Ape”). As of now, Lucy who was discovered in Ethiopia by D.C Johanson, was the most famous out of all discoveries. The pre-humans lived in the area of the savannahs and rift Valley of Africa more than three million years ago. Scientists believe they are closer to being modern humans than apes. However, new evidence suggests that the Australopithecus family was not the only hominid species to have been around at this time. In the 1987 edition of the journal “Nature,” three scientists at the University of California found out that all humans on earth have a common ancestor who they believed lived in Africa. Her name was “Eve.” According to the journal, the three scientists believed that “Eve” was actually the most recent common ancestor through matrilineal descent of all human living today. The scientists back up their evidence of saying that people can trace some of their genetic heritage through their mother back to “Eve”. The scientists were able to prove their theory by checking into the cells of living people and analyzing short loops of genetic code knows as mitochondrial DNA, or mtDNA for short. For further analysis, the three scientists looked at the mtDNA of about 147 people from continents around the world. With the help of a computer system they put together a sort of family tree. That tree showed a trunk splitting into two major branches. The first branch consisted only of Africa; the other included some modern Africans, and some people from everywhere else. According to the researchers, populations of Africans, the first modern humans, form the trunk and longest branch of the tree. The second branch represents a subgroup that left Africa and later spread out to the rest of the world. The researchers also found that all of the mtDNA, even the samples from far-flung regions of the world, was strikingly similar. This suggested that the molecular clock has not been ticking long enough to accumulate appreciable differences in DNA in the lives of any other people but that of Africa lineage is the oldest, that all modern humans should trace their roots back in Africa. They concluded that the most recent common mtDNA ancestor was an African woman. The scientists also said that Eve’s mtDNA did not die out due to her random lineage extinctions. During my research, I also came across an article published in the June 12th, 2003 edition of the New York Times stating that a 160.000 year old skull of two men and an infant was found in Ethiopia (Africa). The scientists who studied these skulls thought they had known or seen for the first time the faces of the immediate ancestors of modern humans. The articles were interesting in the way that both the discovery team and the other scientists said that the research appear to confirm the idea that modern humans originated from Africa and dispersed into Europe and Asia. Scientists proved genetically and by many discoveries that humankind originated from the beautiful continent of Africa. We could now say this with confidence. Part II Teaching the world history without mentioning the continent of Africa would be a big mistake. Now that we have all these facts on the origin of humankind, the study of the world history should reflect the hard work of the scientists who for so long devoted their time to search for the origin of the people on earth. Scientists were able to prove genetically that the humankind originated from Africa through many discoveries of skulls and other remains of the first ancient habitants of the continent of Africa. I personally think that. It is time for the world and especially my generation to know and learn African history. World history should include Africa, its history, cultures, oral traditions, civilization, and its impact on the rest of the world and mostly the continent of America. I wonder why people should not know that countries like Mali, Ghana, and Senegal were very powerful and successful many years ago. The world should teach people the impacts African culture and traditions have on the North, South America and even the Caribbean. Many surveys show that Africa benefits many countries in the west with its natural resources. The world is people, and people of the world should comprehend that the significance of the political economic affair of the mother of all continents should be introduced in present days and to the future generations to come. I think and believe that if people in the world will be very interested in learning the history of Africa if all facts, conceptions and morals were thought carefully. With the advance of technology, believe it or not the media can play a big role in informing people around the world about Africa. But most of the time instead of teaching, informing and showing the progress the continent is making, they only show the poorest parts, where there is hunger, malnutrition, war and other bad things to their audience. Today’s media can build and destroy, therefore I will strongly suggest to the Media around the world to help bring to Africa its dignity and integrity. Africa should be and remain the introduction to world history. Last but not least, Africa should be included in world history, and its history should be carefully thought out with all facts. As people of the world, we do not know where we are or where we are going, it will be very sad not to know where we are coming from. The history of the mother of all continents should be kept alive like a tradition for future generation to learn from. We should preserve the history of Africa, so that way it will not loose its meanings.