Migration and the Origins of Homo sapiens

Abstract

In the light of the presentations at the Tokyo symposium, this review paper discusses some major issues in the recognition of early modern human populations in Eurasia, in both the biological and the archeological records. It also discusses the implications of the recent identification of limited autosomal gene flow between Homo sapiens and more archaic species such as Neanderthals and Denisovans. These implications relate to the question of whether there was continuity or replacement between Middle and Upper Paleolithic populations and their technologies in different parts of Eurasia. I also discuss issues related to chronology and to the colonizing abilities of early Homo sapiens, including cross- ocean migrations, especially beyond the Sunda Shelf and into the Japanese Islands.