General

Africans more genetically diverse than the rest of the world combined

Study: nine of 14 “ancestral clusters” found on the continent.

A detailed new look at the DNA of Africans shows that people on that continent are more genetically diverse than the inhabitants of the rest of the world combined. Scientists have long known that the first modern humans emerged in southern Africa about 200,000 years ago, but the study identifies 14 “ancestral clusters” for all of humanity, nine of them on the continent. That may be bad news for members of the African diaspora who wish to trace back their origins to specific tribes or ethnic groups. The genetic diversity makes such a feat almost impossible, say the researchers.

The Washington Post

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