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Human evolution

Ecce Homo — behold mankind

Nature volume 390, pages 120–121 (1997)Cite this article

We are incorrigibly curious about our origins, yet we are curiously ambivalent when confronted with the prospect of obtaining sound evidence about the emergence of modern humans 250,000 to 150,000 years ago. Developments in molecular biology have made available a new generation of molecular markers that can record events in the evolution of Homo sapiens that cannot be detected with conventional methods. In combination with advances that enable whole genotypes to be rapidly screened for distinctive sequences, they promise to provide a much more precise picture of the relationships between regional populations of modern humans. Last month, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory hosted a meetingFootnote 1to take stock of the progress that has been made towards reconstructing our evolutionary history over the past 250,000 years.

*Human Evolution Meeting, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, USA, 4-8 October 1997.

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Notes

  1. *Human Evolution Meeting, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, USA, 4-8 October 1997.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington DC, 20052, USA

    Bernard Wood

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  1. Bernard Wood
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Wood, B. Ecce Homo — behold mankind. Nature 390, 120–121 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/36450

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