ABORIGINAL Australians are descended from the first people to
leave Africa up to 75,000 years ago, a genetic study has found.
A century-old lock of hair from a West Australian indigenous man
has led to the discovery that Aborigines reached Asia at least
24,000 years before other human migrations. Researchers from the
University of Western Australia and Murdoch University and an
international team analysed the genetic material of the hair.
The donor had no genetic link with any recent Australian
arrivals. Looking at his genome material, the study revealed
that Australian Aboriginal ancestors split from the first modern
human populations to leave Africa, between 64,000 and 75,000
years ago. Dr Joe Dortch, a researcher with the University of
Western Australia, said the discovery rewrote the story about
how Aborigines arrived in Australia some 50,000 years ago.