APRIL 2019
Greetings friends!
This blog session focuses on exactly three points.
First, all humans are descended from Africa. Research and archaeological findings are clear. No one simply ‘appeared’ anywhere else on the planet – at ANY time.
Second, the journey out of Africa produced three types of humans – Neanderthal, Denisovan and Homo Sapiens (the former two having gone extinct; the latter currently populating the entire planet) with, incidentally and amazingly, a miniscule trace of Neanderthal genes coursing through us all!
Third, humans are not now nor have they ever been descended, branched or developed from primates.
1. ALL HUMANS ARE DESCENDED FROM AFRICA
One Point of Origin – Not Multiple
As was pointed out in last month’s blog, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is clear: ‘. . . for there is no doubt that in the beginning the origin was one: the origin of all numbers is one and not two.’ ‘. . . mankind has been created from one single origin, has branched off from one family.’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Section, p. 297)
And so it was with our existence on the Mother Continent – before environmental upheaval (dried up rivers and grasslands along with disappearance of fish and game) forced movement away from ‘home’ on the one hand; and before supreme curiosity and sheer restlessness proved irresistible on the other.
The map below displays the routes throughout and out of Africa taken by her inhabitants from as long ago as 200,000 years. For the record, Africans had already been migrating from their homeland for nearly two million years!
No Migration to the Americas from the Atlantic
As you can see, there was no migration to the Americas from across the Atlantic, e.g., Europe. All migration proceeded east from eastern Africa and kept going east – crossing the Pacific via the Bering Strait whose waters had sufficiently receded to allow relatively safe crossing by boat or even trekking on foot in some areas. Any parties arriving to any of the Americas after the times indicated on the map were, at best, late and most assuredly not her discoverers.
Native Americans believe their people were always in America.
The Bahá’í Writings say all came from Africa, regardless of what path, regardless of time frame.
A young boy’s 13,000-year old skeletal remains covered in ochre amongst some artifacts found on an archaeological dig on Native American land, was one of the oldest human skeletons ever discovered in North America. Renowned geneticist Eske Willerslev was asked to sequence the genome DNA of the young boy and received strong DNA signals right away. His team compared DNA patterns to 150 genome types around the world, and to a few ancient populations already decoded. After 4 years they narrowed down where the genes of the child had come from. Not across the Atlantic from Europe but across the Pacific. He was 1/3 Siberian; 2/3 ancient East Asian. This unique combination of DNA can no longer be found among any living populations west of the Bering Strait. Only in living Native Americans ‘east’ of the Strait.
This happened how?
Siberians and East Asians took the same route as others during migration, crossing the Bering Strait as had their predecessors but not intermingling with others, bearing a genetic signature found nowhere else in the world. This unique DNA was passed down to Native Americans throughout history. Close to 80% of all living Native Americans carry this young boy’s genome. The percentage is even higher in Central and South America. The descendants of the band of travelers that crossed the Bering Strait 15,000 years ago are responsible for creating the civilizations of North, Central and South America long before Europeans arrived. Long before.
Pacific Islander populations came not from the Americas either, but southeast Asia. Philippines and Micronesia were easier to cross when the water levels were lower.
Today’s Population from a Single Migration
The 2016 article referenced at the end of last month’s blog post further confirms that for all those present today, a single migration from Africa spawned us all. The article: A Single Migration from Africa Populated the World, Studies Find – New York Times article
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/science/ancient-dna-human-history.html
It also affirms two concurrent realities: ‘ex uno plures’ – out of one, many; and our inevitable resultant credo of ‘e pluribus unum’ – out of many, one.
And just to be clear . . . the map, while so accurately depicting migration routes and time frames, appears to be in need of a few adjustments with respect to relative sizing. Hence the rendering below.
A More Accurate Reflection of the Size of the Mother Continent
in Relation to Certain Countries
2. THREE TYPES OF HUMANS
Neanderthal, Denisovan and Homo Sapiens
Many Migrations from Africa!
According to Ethiopian archaeologist Berhane Asfaw, migrations moved throughout Africa and to Europe not just once but MANY TIMES! As far back as two million years ago. Humans always followed their food. As conditions changed these prehistoric people showed they were not attached to one land.
Those who migrated 100,000 years ago were actually following in the footsteps of those who migrated over a million years ago.
700,000 years ago – one of these early bands had reached well into Europe and Asia.
500,000 years ago – they had spawned two human-like species:
Homo Denisovan and Homo Neanderthalensis.
Homo Sapiens did not evolve until about 200,000 years ago.
There is genetic evidence of contact among all three species, but the most momentous encounters seemed to have been between homo sapiens and Neanderthals in the lands of today’s Europe.
The Great Human Odyssey video
https://www.pbs.org/video/nova-great-human-odyssey/
The research of this highly illuminating PBS Nova masterpiece of nearly two hours’ length having been so thoroughly, logically and plainly communicated, traces the migratory steps of humans from Africa to Europe, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Islands and the Americas and shows the adaptability and oftentimes superior ingenuity required to both endure and survive catastrophic/cataclysmic events prone to wiping out entire populations.
Homo Sapiens Migration to Europe
For homo sapiens entering Europe 50,000 yrs. ago – it was much colder (having gone through a couple of Ice Ages) but now also with bountiful forests, lakes, rivers, wildlife and a species of humans that looked and behaved differently. Neanderthals had developed larger brains than the homo sapiens and were actually quite smart, contrary to the generally accepted labeling as a group notoriously beset with mental, social, emotional and/or psychological deficits. They dwelt in Europe more than half a million years and were strongly built with wide trunks, greater musculature, and were cold-adapted. Homo sapiens did not have the biological adaptations that the Neanderthals had which included lighter skin than the homo sapiens due to the latitude they evolved in. The northern latitudes had far less sunlight. ‘A certain amount of sunlight was needed to penetrate through to the deeper layers of skin in order to synthesize vitamin D’ says geneticist Spencer Wells. People like him, he says, are ‘mutants’ who adapted to the environment.
The differentiation of humans resulting from migration, climate and environment over an enormous passage of time (500,000 years long enough?) – our diversity– stems from external factors, not internal, not intrinsic, not innate. The physical differences between the Neanderthals and the homo sapiens was irrefutable proof of this reality as both groups migrated from the same original homeland.
Based on physiology, the homo sapiens had no illusions about who would prevail in a physical match-up. But – they had arrived on scene with superior hunting tools – bows and arrows, and spears they could throw while the Neanderthals had only developed thrusting spears. Without long-distance weaponry they had to be extremely fit, extremely strong. The homo sapiens didn’t necessarily use their superior weaponry to kill off the Neanderthals though time, distance and Neanderthal-adapted physiology had facilitated conditions of alienation and otherness. And as with any two groups, there were varying degrees of violence, assimilation, cooperation, and avoidance. However, recent genetic findings indicate the two groups were actually closer than once thought. They not only met and had offspring, but some of that Neanderthal DNA has persisted through to present-day.
Neanderthals eventually went extinct. Homo sapiens survived. Why?
A German cave’s findings show Neanderthals dwelt there first; followed by homo sapiens later.
No symbolic artifacts from Neanderthals. A plethora from homo sapiens. Carved figurines from mammoth tusk ivory. Flute-like artifacts made from ivory (not wood). Music and art are important components to the development of society. This showed the homo sapiens had imagination. They were wise people. ‘Sapiens’ means ‘wise’. They could think. They could plan. They could communicate. Abilities totally unimagined by the Neanderthals.
The onset of sudden periods of intense cold swept through yielding another unrelenting Ice Age, some of which occurred in less than 10 years’ time, leaving in its wake an entirely frozen over landscape and absolute devastation. Though the Neanderthals were cold weather people and had withstood two Ice Ages prior, they did not survive this final one. The homo sapiens did.
Survival skills of the Chukchi tribe in northern Siberia (having cleverly adapted to extreme cold and harsh conditions) might explain how the homo sapiens survived the Ice Age that decimated the Neanderthals. Carefully crafted cold weather clothing (using an ‘eyed’ needle for fitted, sewn clothing) plus their greater numbers (human population expansion) likely contributed to their survival. Neanderthals had much smaller numbers and they, along with the Denisovans simply vanished. Homo sapiens survived everywhere they went. Future survival in the northern climes proved successful for the homo sapiens who adapted to the environment and continued the species.
3. HUMANS ARE AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HUMAN – NOTHING ELSE
While compiling research for this month’s blog post, we encountered references from several sources which claimed humans had not only branched from apes but were, accordingly, human apes. One source in particular was all in.
On Wikipedia, an excerpt from the article entitled ‘Timeline of human evolution’ expresses the following:
‘Proconsul was an early genus of catarrhine primates. They had a mixture of Old World monkey and ape characteristics. Proconsul’s monkey-like features include thin tooth enamel, a light build with a narrow chest and short forelimbs, and an arboreal quadrupedal lifestyle. Its ape-like features are its lack of a tail, ape-like elbows, and a slightly larger brain relative to body size.
Proconsul africanus is a possible ancestor of both great and lesser apes, including humans.’
And we don’t even get to be ‘great’ apes. Just ‘lesser’ apes.
The following disclaimer though:
‘This timeline is based on studies from anthropology, paleontology, developmental biology, morphology, and from anatomical and genetic data. It does not address the origin of life.’
Well we’re about to address it because it’s where folk have leapt from reality into the abyss of ignorance. Looks could not possibly be more deceiving. Even under a microscope. What we see and what we know sometimes fail to intersect. This is one of those times.
What we know:
‘Ye are all created out of water, and unto dust shall ye return.’
(Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 73)
Yes. There was a time in our existence where we were created, lived and died in water. Remember how we looked during present-day mitosis – amoebic-like at first – in a water-filled sac? Nine months later, something totally different-looking. Did we start out human and remain so, or did we later become human as that amoebic-looking entity evolved?
Back in the incalculable day, that was all we were. Amoebic-like. At various points during our subsequent evolution (and every single thing evolves) we sported a tadpole look, an eel look, a lizard look slithering onto land like the creature from the (sorry to say) black lagoon, eventually walking on all fours and covered in furry hair, possibly swinging from trees, losing tails, becoming bipedal, walking upright and losing most of that hair.
HUMAN EMBRYO
And now PIG EMBRYO:
Similarities? Visually YES! But that is where it ends. Were we ever amoeba, tadpole, eel, lizard, monkey or ape? Or whatever developed in between? Not. EVER! Never tadpole, chicken, pig, primate. Never. Any. Thing. Else!!! Looks have truly deceived. From amoeba to 21st century mankind to infinity. Always one species. Always human. Spirit within and soul intact. True science reveals only that. Don’t get it twisted.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá Tells Us Exactly What True Science and Religion Reveal:
‘For man, from the beginning of the embryonic period till he reaches the degree of maturity, goes through different forms and appearances. His aspect, his form, his appearance, and color change; he passes from one form to another, and from one appearance to another. Nevertheless, from the beginning of the embryonic period he is of the species of man; that is to say, an embryo of a man, and not of an animal; but this is not at first apparent, but later it becomes visible and evident. For example, let us suppose that man once resembled the animal, and that now he has progressed and changed; supposing this to be true, it is still not a proof of the change of species; no, as before mentioned, it is merely like the change and alteration of the embryo of man until it reaches the degree of reason and perfection. We will state it more clearly: let us suppose that there was a time when man walked on his hands and feet, or had a tail; this change and alteration is like that of the foetus in the womb of the mother; although it changes in all ways, and grows and develops until it reaches the perfect form, from the beginning it is a special species. We also see in the vegetable kingdom that the original species of the genus do not change and alter, but the form, color, and bulk will change and alter, or even progress.
To recapitulate: as man in the womb of the mother passes from form to form, from shape to shape, changes and develops, and is still the human species from the beginning of the embryonic period — in the same way man, from the beginning of his existence in the matrix of the world, is also a distinct species, that is, man, and has gradually evolved from one form to another. Therefore this change of appearance, this evolution of members, this development and growth, even though we admit the reality of growth and progress, does not prevent the species from being original. Man from the beginning was in this perfect form and composition, and possessed capacity and aptitude for acquiring material and spiritual perfections, and was the manifestation of these words, “We will make man in Our image and likeness.” He has only become more pleasing, more beautiful, and more graceful. Civilization has brought him out of his wild state, just as the wild fruits which are cultivated by a gardener became finer, sweeter, and acquire more freshness and delicacy.
The gardeners of the world of humanity are the Prophets of God.’
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Section,
pp. 309-310)
God has all power.
That is all.
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Join us for the next blog session: America’s Slaves, Descendants of the House of Israel
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Til then, let the light of your spirit shine forth!
BlackPupilofTheEye