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[Raoul Martens]

On Tue, 22 June 1999 Paul Kekai Mansala wrote:

> MtDNA and Y chromosome data both agree that modern humans descend
> from populations established from about 100,000 to 150,000 years ago

Acc. to A Brief History of Science 1998 ISBN 0-7607-1065-1 'the latest
estimate for the origin of Homo Sapiens, based on sequences from the
entire mitochondrial genome, is more precise at about 140,000 years.'

However, there are also other methods (and opinions) re. this matter:
the 10 authors of 'Minisatellite diversity supports a recent African
origin for modern humans' in Nature Genetics, June 13, 1996, state:
'Computer simulations with the measured mutation rate of 0.4% (ref.24)
showed that the rate of decay of allele sharing between diverging pop-
ulations was largely independent of population size above 1,000, being
driven by mutation rate rather than genetic drift. Decay to the obser-
ved level of three instances of African/non-African allele sharing re-
quired an average of 770 generations (15,000 years; 95% upper confidence
limit 22,000 years). This estimated divergence time for the split bet-
ween African and non-African populations is much more recent than other
estimates, for example based on mitochondrial DNA.'

Sincerely
Raoul Martens