Hominin Migrations Past and Present

Migrations have defined hominins, including our species, Homo sapiens , and shaped our evolutionary history. Beginning as early as 1.8 million years ago, our ancestor, Homo erectus , began migrating out of the African homeland into the Middle East, the Caucasus and eventually East Asia. Later migrants include Neanderthal man ( Homo neanderthalensis ) and Denisovan man ( Homo sapiens ssp. Denisova ), who seem to have followed a similar trajectory, with the former also claiming much of Europe, and the latter settling in the Altai Mountains and probably further east. In addition, we find intercrossing among all these species, including interbreeding, with the result that most of the world’s population displays a small percentage of Nenderthal and/or Denisovan ancestry. Off all these species, Homo sapiens has proven to be the most adaptable, ranging over the entire planet and our migrations may take us even farther in the future. It is becoming increasingly clear that migrations define us, shape our history and will determine our future.