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Going East: New Genetic and Archaeological Perspectives on the Modern Human Colonization of Eurasia
Paul Mellars
The pattern of dispersal of biologically and behaviorally modernhuman populations from their African origins to the rest ofthe occupied world between 60,000 and 40,000 years ago is atpresent a topic of lively debate, centering principally on theissue of single versus multiple dispersals. Here I argue thatthe archaeological and genetic evidence points to a single successfuldispersal event, which took genetically and culturally modernpopulations fairly rapidly across southern and southeasternAsia into Australasia, and with only a secondary and later dispersalinto Europe.
Department of Archaeology, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK.
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In Science Magazine
LETTERS
Mike A. Smith, Paul S. C. Tacon, Darren Curnoe, Alan Thorne;, and Paul Mellars (2 February 2007) Science315 (5812), 597b.
[DOI: 10.1126/science.315.5812.597b] |Full Text »|PDF »
INTRODUCTION TO SPECIAL ISSUE
Andrew Sugden and Elizabeth Pennisi (11 August 2006) Science313 (5788), 775.
[DOI: 10.1126/science.313.5788.775] |Summary »|PDF »
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60,000 and 40,000 years ago is at present a topic of lively debate, centering principally on the issue of single versus multiple dispersals. Here I argue that the archaeological and genetic evidence points to a single successful dispersal event, which took genetically and culturally modern populations fairly rapidly across southern and southeastern Asia into Australasia, and with only a secondary and later dispersal into Europe. 
