Genomic analysis of African populations supports multiregional model of human origins

A study reported by ScienceDaily on 26 April 2026, drawing on primary research into human evolutionary genetics, presents evidence challenging the single-origin model of Homo sapiens. By analysing genomic data from a broad range of African populations — with particular focus on the Nama people of southern Africa, whose ancestry is notably distinct from that of most other studied groups — researchers found that the genetic patterns are better explained by a model in which early human lineages remained partially connected through gene flow over hundreds of thousands of years.

The analysis suggests that the populations ancestral to all living humans began diverging approximately 120,000–135,000 years ago, but continued to exchange genetic material rather than separating cleanly. This is consistent with an emerging class of models sometimes described as the 'African multiregional' or 'structured population' framework, which contrasts with older single-origin models while remaining distinct from the now-discredited multiregional hypothesis that proposed independent evolution of modern humans outside Africa.

The work draws on comparisons between genomic data and the fossil record. For researchers in population genetics, palaeoanthropology, and evolutionary biology, the study contributes to an active and rapidly evolving debate about the tempo and mode of modern human origins. For educators, it illustrates how whole-genome data from underrepresented African populations continue to reshape foundational models in human evolutionary biology.