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Scientists discover human groups that were long thought to be extinct are still alive
Scientists discover human groups that were long thought to be extinct are still alive
A recent finding in South Africa has rediscovered a human population that was thought to have been lost. When some languages from the Namibia Desert died out, anthropologists feared that the populations that spoke them had gone with it. However, researchers have discovered that the genetic identity of these once-thought lost populations may have been maintained, even without their native tongue. Southern Africa holds some of the greatest human genetic diversity on Earth, and it is a common pattern that this diversity suggests it is where a species or family originated. Even without fossil records, anthropologists would know humans evolved in Africa, simply by looking at how much greater the biological diversity is there. It is among the inhabitants of the Kalahari and Namibia Deserts of south-eastern Africa where this diversity can be seen most dramatically. "We were able to locate groups which were once thought to have disappeared more than 50 years ago," Dr Jorge Rocha of the University of Porto said in a statement. One of these groups is the Kwepe, who used to speak Kwadi. The disappearance of the language was thought to mark the end of their serration from neighbouring populations. Dr Ann-Maria Fehn of the Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos said: "Kwadi was a click language that shared a common ancestor with the Khoe languages spoken by foragers and herders across Southern Africa." The team managed to find the descendants of those who spoke Kwadi, and discovered that they had retained their genetic distinctiveness that traces back to a time before Bantu-speaking farmers moved into the area. “A lot of our efforts were placed in understanding how much of this local variation and global eccentricity was caused by genetic drift – a random process that disproportionately affects small populations and by admixtures from vanished populations,” said Dr Sandra Oliverira of the University of Bern. "Previous studies revealed that foragers from the Kalahari desert descend from an ancestral population who was the first to split from all other extant humans,” added Professor Mark Stoneking of the Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. “Our results consistently place the newly identified ancestry within the same ancestral lineage but suggest that the Namib-related ancestry diverged from all other southern African ancestries, followed by a split of northern and southern Kalahari ancestries." The research allowed the team to reconstruct the migrations of the region's populations. With the Khoe-Kwadi speakers dispersed across the area around 2,000 years ago, possibly from what is now Tanzania. The populations that once spoke Kwadi, before adopting Bantu languages in recent decades, are the missing piece in the history of humanity as anthropologists identified in this study. The study can be read in Science Advances. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-09-27 19:18
BLACKPINK The Palace will keep getting new content all year
BLACKPINK The Palace will keep getting new content all year
BLACKPINK fans can host their own parties and have plenty of material to have fun with, including the group's "digital fashion to signature choreography".
2023-08-23 20:26
US government agencies hit in global hacking spree
US government agencies hit in global hacking spree
Several U.S. government agencies have been hit in a global hacking campaign that exploited a vulnerability in widely
2023-06-16 00:53
iPhone 15: Apple’s new phone will finally bring new charging plug after years of resistance
iPhone 15: Apple’s new phone will finally bring new charging plug after years of resistance
The iPhone 15 is just days from launch, and will come with a change that Apple might never have wanted to make. The company will remove the Lightning port from the bottom of the iPhone, where it has been used for charging and data transfer since the iPhone 5 in 2012. Instead, it will move to USB-C, a slightly larger and more generic port. Apple has long resisted that port, even as it has comes to other Apple devices including its iPads and MacBooks. But it has been forced to do so by new rules coming from the European Union, which seek to reduce clutter and digital waste by requiring companies to use one charger. That new ruling applies to everything: not just phones, but other small electronic devices such as tablets and GPS systems. But since it was announced, much of the discussion has focused on Apple and its iPhone, largely because it was the only major company to resist the change. When the regulation was being discussed, Apple publicly and unusually criticised it. It said that the change would actually lead to more digital waste, since iPhone users would be forced to throw away their old cables, and that it would set a dangerous precedent in allowing governments to change how products are designed. Instead, it encouraged regulators to look at the other end of the cable: the one that plugs into the wall. If that was standardised then users could still rely on having somewhere to plug their cable into, and Apple already sells the iPhone with USB-C to Lightning cables. But late last year, after years of discussions, the European Parliament approved new rules that would require new devices to support USB-C. Apple confirmed soon after that it would comply with the rules. Apple does not intend to mention any of those regulatory changes or its opposition to them when it announces the iPhone at an event next week, however, according to a new report Bloomberg. Instead, it will aim to stress the benefits of the new technology. Apple will focus on the fact that customers will be able to use a single charging cable for their iPhones as well as their Macs and iPads; that there will be faster transfer speeds for the more expensive Pro phones; that charging will also sometimes be faster; and that they can be used with chargers from other, non-Apple devices. Some have suggested that Apple could limit the USB-C phones to Europe. But would have led to supply chain problems and customer confusion, the Bloomberg report suggested. Apple is still faced with a number of drawbacks for the change, however, including spending on the switch and losing money from licensing products that work with Lightning. The biggest danger might be opposition from users: when Apple switched to Lightning in 2012, it received sustained criticism from customers who were forced not only to buy new wires but also new devices such as docks that relied on that connection. This time around, however, customers might be more ready for the switch since USB-C is already used in so many products. The company will also put a USB-C cable in the box, and has been focusing on other charging technologies such as its proprietary MagSafe. However, Apple removed the charging brick from iPhone boxes with the iPhone 12 in 2020, and touted the environmental effects of doing so in a way that suggested it would not add it back again. As such, some customers might find themselves with enough cables, but nothing to plug them into, Bloomberg suggested. Read More Here’s when you will actually be able to get the new iPhone Apple is about to reveal the new iPhone – and a lot more Apple announces major event to reveal new phone Apple says its new product is making people ‘audibly gasp’ The powerful technology hidden in every iPhone – and all around you Vodafone users say they can’t call people
2023-09-05 00:58
Save £65 on the Garmin Forerunner 55 this Prime Day
Save £65 on the Garmin Forerunner 55 this Prime Day
TL;DR: The Garmin Forerunner 55 is a dedicated running watch with coaching plans and health
2023-07-11 23:25
Streamer Kai Cenat says he is 'beyond disappointed' in mayhem at NYC event
Streamer Kai Cenat says he is 'beyond disappointed' in mayhem at NYC event
The 21-year-old social media influencer who was charged with inciting a riot after a crowd of thousands of his followers erupted in chaos in New York City last week says he is “beyond disappointed” in the bad behavior
2023-08-11 01:46
Fisker cuts 2023 production forecast as it struggles to ramp up deliveries
Fisker cuts 2023 production forecast as it struggles to ramp up deliveries
By Samrhitha A and Abhirup Roy Electric-vehicle startup Fisker slashed its 2023 production guidance on Monday as it
2023-11-14 08:46
'Me at My Wedding': How to try this funny TikTok trend going viral?
'Me at My Wedding': How to try this funny TikTok trend going viral?
TikTok trend 'Me at My Wedding' has taken the social media sphere by storm, attracting both men and women to participate in this hilarious challenge
2023-05-09 18:52
Apple's iPhone 15 launch preview: Everything you need to know
Apple's iPhone 15 launch preview: Everything you need to know
Yes, we're already at number 15. In a few weeks, as it typically happens in
2023-08-30 17:27
This expert-led Python bootcamp bundle is on sale for 82% off
This expert-led Python bootcamp bundle is on sale for 82% off
TL;DR: The 2023 Complete Python Certification Boot Camp Bundle is on sale for £11.80, saving
2023-08-14 12:15
Nvidia Set to Become First $1 Trillion Chipmaker in AI Boom
Nvidia Set to Become First $1 Trillion Chipmaker in AI Boom
Nvidia Corp. is set to became the first chipmaker to achieve a $1 trillion market capitalization as its
2023-05-30 17:47
Airalo, World's Largest eSIM Marketplace, Raises $60 Million in Series B Financing
Airalo, World's Largest eSIM Marketplace, Raises $60 Million in Series B Financing
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 2, 2023--
2023-08-02 17:51