A new study using genome data from modern-day African populations suggests that many ancestral groups moved across geographic areas and mixed with each other over hundreds of thousands of years. It also found that everyone alive today can connect their ancestry to at least two different populations that were present in Africa about a million years. These results differ from an earlier explanation about our species. That idea suggested Homo sapiens developed in only a single area or mixed with a related species.
A new study analyzing genome data from modern-day African populations has shed light on how Homo sapiens emerged and dispersed across the continent before spreading worldwide. The research found that multiple ancestral groups from across Africa contributed to the emergence of Homo sapiens in a patchwork manner, migrating from one region to another and mixing with one another over hundreds of thousands of years. The findings did not support a longstanding hypothesis that a single region in Africa gave rise to Homo sapiens or a scenario involving mixture with an unidentified closely related species in the human evolutionary lineage within Africa.
GISAID, the main repository for SARS-CoV-2 genome data, is under scrutiny due to concerns about its lack of transparency, governance, and how it mediates disputes over credit. Despite its flaws, GISAID is likely to remain an important resource for viral genomes, but it requires drastic reform and new leadership. Scientists call for fully open sharing of coronavirus genome data and suggest a new organization might have to be built from scratch. The goal should be to encourage people to share their data, as data sharing is the single most important thing we can do to help prevent and control pandemics.
