A New Population Genetics Algorithm with a Unique Origin of Humanity

Population genetics uses mathematical principles to describe how the genetic makeup of a population changes over time through mutations, natural selection, random genetic drift, recombination of chromosomes, and migration. It has been applied in order to infer that we share a common ancestry with apes, that our ancestors emigrated from Africa about 50 000 years ago, and that the Homo population was never smaller than a few thousand individuals. However, the theory is full of gaps and weaknesses. In this talk, Dr. Hössjer describes a recently published algorithm based on the premise that humanity started from one single couple with created diversity. He argues that it has great potential to fit real data better than the prevailing common ancestry algorithms, and briefly mentions about ongoing work to implement the unique origin algorithm.