Intercontinental human migration routes discovered by Dr. Spencer Wells.
Yesterday I went to a lecture given by Dr. Spencer Wells, a population geneticist. Through his work, he aims to explain the patterns of human diversity, meaning how people got to be where they are today (the above map illustrates this), and why we look the way we do. He said some really interesting things. For instance, apparently, through his research, he has come to find that there is very little genetic variety between humans (only about .1%), whereas there are other species that have as much as 14% genetic variation. What I also thought was quite interesting was that he has traced the migration of peoples back over time, and has concluded that everyone originated in Africa. I enjoyed the lecture immensely and am planning to order a kit to join his project. This kit is provided so that you can send him a buccal swab of your DNA, and he will tell you where your ancestors have come from. I have always been really interested in genetics, and no one in my family can ever give me a straight answer as to what we are and where we have come from. I figure this is my chance to find out!
