Disputable Origin of the Homo sapiens

Abstract

Molecular anthropology developed since the seventies resulted nowadays in a widespread interest in problems concerning the origin of the contemporary human being. Literature data of the last decade indicate that the traditional questions for the representatives of the genus Homo and family Hominidae, have been recently predominated by the ones focused on the first Homo sapiens. In particular, especially common became a statement that the whole contemporary human population stems from the population of the African „Eve” from 200,000 years ago. This contradicts, however, the observed continuity of the development of human forms in other regions of the world. Therefore, two alternative interpretations of the origin of Homo sapiens are currently accepted by paleoanthropology: the African – monophyletic and the multiregional – polyphyletic one.