The oldest known common male ancestor, as revealed by DNA evidence, is now determined to be 340,000 years old, which is more than double previous estimates.
According to New Scientist, the sample originated from a recently deceased man named Albert Perry. Following his death, a relative submitted his DNA to a company called Family Tree DNA for analysis.
The results were published in The American Journal of Human Genetics, prompting researchers to potentially revise the established timeline of human evolution.
Interestingly, this historical finding came at a relatively low cost, with the company offering historical DNA analysis for approximately $150.
Until now, all previously analyzed DNA samples indicated a common Y chromosome traced back to a man who existed between 60,000 and 140,000 years ago. However, Perry’s DNA sample deviated from this norm, failing to align with the known common ancestor.
“It’s an exciting discovery,” remarked Jon Wilkins of the Ronin Institute in Montclair, N.J., to New Scientist. “We geneticists have been studying Y chromosomes for nearly as long as we’ve been conducting genetic research. It’s extremely surprising to change the location of the root of the Y-chromosome tree at this stage.”
Following the initial analysis of Perry’s DNA, further tests were performed by geneticists at the University of Arizona to validate the findings. The Y chromosome from Perry’s sample was found to align with those of 11 men who all resided in the same village in Cameroon.
Michael Hammer, a researcher at the University of Arizona, suggests that Perry’s DNA indicates the possibility of an earlier human species that went extinct—albeit after interbreeding with the more contemporary version of humanity.
