This is an oversimplification, but it is exactly what the archaeology and physical anthropology had previously told us. Except the physy and archy data give us more detail. But, important and interesting nonetheless:
Short people known as pygmies are scattered across equatorial Africa, where they speak various languages, inhabit different types of forests, and hunt and gather food in diverse ways. Despite their cultural variety, a new study shows that the pygmies of Western Central Africa descended from an ancestral population that survived intact until 2800 years ago when farmers invaded the pygmies' territory and split them apart....
- Log in to post comments
More like this
A few weeks ago, I posted some stuff about what genetics an tell us about the Slavic expansion into the lands of Finno-Ugric tribes. Obviously, I don't think this is a line of inquiry is specific to that situation; and used judiciously it can add a lot of value toward answering many questions.…
Left: Efe (Pygmy) man. Right: White guy.
Some of the people who live in the rain forest of Central Africa are known widely as "Pgymies." That word...Pygmy...is considered problematic for a few different reasons. It refers to a person's physical appearance, because it means "small." The word…
Martin has responded at length to my posts where I argue for an inclusion of genetic data in a synthetic model of human history and development. There are multiple issues here where we disagree, or differ in our interpretations. First, as Martin admits at one point, "Those are all my words put…
This is a great cartoon by Randall Munroe that makes a very important point very effectively. Spread it around, love it, learn from it.
Here is an excellent video walkthrough of the cartoon, discussing its value as a communication tool.
But do ignore the details of the prehistory because the…
I wonder if the lack of adolescent growth spurt was just a random mutation that had no particular selective disadvantage.
I think that the mutation was random (as they tend to be) but there is almost certainly a selective advantage (or was in the past) because very short stature also occurs in other tropical forest peoples (Amazonians and some southeast Asian populations) but not among other groups (as far as I know). If it was just drift then short-statured populations should be randomly distributed among environments and economies.
Right. Short stature occurs again and again, but also in arid climates like the bushmen/Ju. There have been many adaptive explanations. Many seem plausible, none have been overly convincing.
There are few or no tall forest people.
..."the pygmies of Western Central Africa descended from an ancestral population that survived intact until 2800 years ago..."
great post! thanks very much for sharing!