THE REAL EVE NOTES:

fr: Mr. Knutsen

These notes are perfect, in the sense that they capture everything you needed to glean
from The Real Eve documentary. The organizational structure mirrors the
chronological flow of the documentary itself. Note that there is some use of
abbreviations, though you would certainly want to abbreviate much more if you were
writing these notes out longhand.
Ultimately, you might want to use these notes as the spine around which you integrate
and organize your information for this Unit, including lecture notes, notes from the Unit 3
online video, and annotations and important highlights from the Reading. In a class like
this you want to try to integrate materials from as many sources as you can, because by
integrating them you start seeing recurring patterns the stuff thats repeated the most
tends to be the most important. Integration can also allow you to see how different
materials, from different sources, can often come together to form a big picture that you
didnt see before, when you were learning the material separately.
At any rate, heres the outline:
1. 150K yrs ago, Earth was in an Ice Age w/Humans Struggling to Survive
(oceans 400 feet lower & Africa was a desert)
a. Modern humans struggled & lived as hunters/gatherers, fighting the
growing deserts in Africa.
b. Hunting was key to survival Hunting required cooperation, planning, &
communication. Smarter was rewarded w/more food.
2. Genetic tracking Unlocking 7K generations of history.
a. Archaeology tells us much, but not enough.
b. Genetic Eve had the mitochondrial DNA that survived (common
ancestor to all humans (incl. Africa)
c. Mitochondrial DNA
i. Different than chromosomal DNA
ii. Carried only on female side (boys get Mito DNA fr: mom
iii. Rebecca Cahn was key scientist
1. read DNA like bar codes
2. oldest DNA markers all came from Africa (ev. That humans
originated in Africa)
3. Wide variation in Mitochondrial DNA among Africans, but
mitochondrial DNA among all humans outside Africa is
virtually identical (with mutations over time)
4. Mitochondrial Eve is different than biblical Eve. Not one
woman who started humans, but her DNA line survived, as
all other dropped out, making her the common genetic
ancestor for all humans alive today.

iv. Dr. Stringer Skull Analysis

120K old human skull is modern human in every way & is
closest ev of what Mito Eve might have looked like.
3. Earlier humans migrated out of Africa, but didnt survive.
a. Peking Man, Heidelberg Man, & earlier human species migrated across
Europe/Asia, but they all died out/went extinct.
b. Some homo sapiens (modern humans) left through Northern route, but
they died during extreme droughts approx. 110K yrs ago. 13 skeletons
found in Casfa (sic), proving humans left Africa over 100K yrs ago., but
they didnt survive.
4. Out of Africa Story & Evidence (80K yrs BP).
a. Another ice age caused growing African deserts environmental pressure
on humans.
b. Eves granddaughters @ 80K BP (70K yrs after Eve) were in an E.
Africa band of humans surviving along the Red Sea on beachcombing.
c. Fossilized Reef on Red Sea (evidence of 1st oyster bar)
Showed human tools & eaten oysters, scallops, & clam shells. First proof
of coastal beachcombing.
d. Living on seafood causes birthrates to go up, but cause higher ongoing
demand for food, increasing pressure to migrate to more plentiful lands.
e. Human Pop. Eventually dropped to 10K (critically endangered)
f. Lower sea levels (150 ft. lower than today) makes foot crossing of the Red
Sea at the Gates of Grief possible. Dotted w/islands & reefs (approx. 10
mi. total). Would have crossed into Yemen, to the rest of the world.
(Southern Route)
g. Climate on the Yemen side would have been milder -- easier to survive.
h. Northern Route (through Sahara, to Nile, across Suez, into the Sinai, and
into Israel & Lebanon, would have been impassible at this time (Sahara
too harsh).
5. Reduction of Mitochondrial DNA lines to 1.
a. First Out of Africa community numbered approx. 250 (minimum viable)
b. Stayed together and isolated (inbreeding) for approx. 1K years in the Gulf
of Aden.
c. Isolated gene pool probably started w/5-6 mitochondrial lines, that would
eventually reduce Mito lines to 1 because:
i. Some women dont have kids (their lines drop out)
ii. Some women die before childbirth (their lines drop out)
iii. Some women have only boys (their lines drop out)
iv. Eventually, only 1 line left.
v. Natural reduction of lines -- definition: Genetic Drift
d. Then (after approx. 1k yrs) original Out of Africa group splits up in
migration, spreading this 1 remaining line as they go (along with any
subsequent mutations, allowing tracking to take place)

e. This original group has physically diversified to make up EVERY nonAfrican racial/ethnic group on the planet.
6. Migration to Malaysia (74K BP)
a. 6K miles in 6K years to Malaysia
b. Living/adapting as hunter/gatherers in rainforest
i. Less protein = smaller height
ii. Less direct sun = lighter complexion
iii. No physical evidence because seas have risen 150 meters.
c. Partial proof fr: Mt. Toba eruption (Sumatra) 74K BP
Biggest explosion on planet in 2M yrs, caused 6 yrs of volcanic winter
(constant clouds/ash, shuts down much photosynthesis, etc.)
d. Partial proof from Sumang people of Malaysia
Sumang: have been largely isolated & may have ancient Mitochondrial
DNA branches deriving directly from original Out of Africa group.
Evidence:
i. Facial features look more African than traditional SE Asian.
ii. DNA shows they are straight (directly descended) from daughters
of Eve 80K yrs ago.
iii. Ancient Sumang tool workshop is covered with Toba ash, proving
it is at least 74K yrs old (proves Sumang were in Malaysia early
enough to be from original group).
7. Crossing to Australia
a. Some of the descendents of ancient Sumang moved on to Australia.
b. Lower sea level (160 feet) made crossing to Australia fr: SE Asia much
easier then than today (could island hop w/o any long ocean crossings).
c. Multiple variations of Mitochondrial lines (unique to Australians &
derived directly from Out of Africa Eve) among different females
arriving at similar times indicates planned migration, rather than raft
wreck.
d. Australia home to strange creatures
Mega-fauna, mega-flora all extinct with a few thousand years after human
arrival. (Probably burned enough mega-flora that animals that depended
on it died off).
e. When Ice age recedes, ocean levels rise, isolating Australia for tens of
thousands of years.
8. Mungo-Man 3
a. DNA Tested to 64K BP & no links to any other known DNA (If true,
would blow up Out of Africa theory)
b. Dr. Stringer says:
i. Could be contaminated DNA
ii. Can still be interpreted consistent w/Out of Africa theory
9. What Makes us Different?

a. Less Mitochondrial variation among entire human race than among a

small group of apes or chimps in Africa (indirect evidence of Out of
Africa theory)
b. Skin Color Explanation
Dr. Jablonski
i. Researching folic acid (critical for fetal development). UV
radiation kills folate & makes embryonic development impossible
ii. Humans need UV radiation to make vitamin D (avoids Ricketts)
iii. Humans need to balance UV (enough for vitamin D, but not so
much that folic acid is destroyed)
iv. As humans migrate farther from the Equator (less UV), skin depigments to allow for vitamin D production.
v. Jablonski estimates entire process (black to white (or vice versa))
takes approx. 20K years.
10. EUROPE: 50K yrs. ago first homo sapiens to Europe (Why later than Australia?)
a. Oppenheimer: Europe was closed off during initial migration due to ice
age. Glaciers receded & rains came to Middle East approx. 50K yrs ago.
b. Humans (from 1st southern migration) walked from Mid. East into Europe
c. Genetic ev. Supports southern route to Europe from Middle east settlers
(between the Tigris & Euphrates rivers)
d. People came to have fixed burial grounds & sacred places
Mourned their dead, ceremonies.
e. Neanderthal interactions
i. Found Neand. Skeleton in Neander Valley in Germany.
ii. Stringer on Neanderthals:
1. Skull/Body
Strong brow ridge, face pulled forward, huge nose.
Appears cold adapted. Short & stocky conserves heat. Big
nose/nasal cavity warms air.
2. Not dull. Brains were as big as HS. Common ancestors
approx. 500K yrs. Ago. DNA 10X closer to us than chimps.
3. Genes have died out if interbred w/HS.
4. Otherwise, Neanderthal & Homo Sapiens (HS) competed
for territory in Europe, & Neanderthals lost.
5. Neanderthals used tools for 100sK years, w/very little
innovation. Much copying of HS tool innovations upon HS
arrival in Europe.
6. Neanderthals were extinct within 10K years of HS contact.
Reason may have been slow to adapt & compete w/more
resourceful HS.
f. Waves into Europe
4 separate mitochondrial lines into Europe 45-10K years ago, from Asia &
Mid East.

11. Ornamentals
a. Small carvings out of Mammoth ivory. Some painted. Very smooth
(maybe handled for generations?).
b. Realistic or idealized forms? Uncertain.
c. Evidence of sewn clothing
i. Bone needles = sewing
ii. Maybe weaving fabrics
iii. Increase personal expression = fashion.
iv. Burial garments w/ 1000s of beads (hours per bead)
d. Carving in mammoth tusk (50K yrs) of a mammoth.
e. Cave paintings go back 35K years.
(often depicts animals & magical forms, part of Shaminism/magic rituals?
12. Migration Into Americas (@ Bering Strait)
a. Original view: No N. America migrants before 15K yrs ago.
b. New view: First migrants 20-25K yrs ago.
c. 25K, One of worst ice ages emerges. First immigrants got in ahead of ice
age/glaciers & were sealed off in Americas for 8K yrs.
d. Ice retreats & allows new wave of migrants into N. America, while
original migrants move north (fr: S. America), following retreating
glaciers.
i. Ev: Meadowcroft site in Ohio documents artifacts dated to 16K yrs
ago (early migration necessary to get to Ohio by 16K bp). Blade
cores look like N. China cores dating back 20K yrs.
ii. Ev. Supports multiple pulses in N. America.
iii. Kennewick Man dated to 9.5K yrs ago (E. Washington on
Columbia river)
1. Very beaten up
2. Blade in pelvis, evidence of conflict. Blade type similar
w/modern American Indians.
3. Evidence that new wave of immigrants was competing with
original (pre-ice age) immigrants over land/resources.
13. Modern Humans Can Trace Their Mitochondrial DNA.
(N. American Indian & Greek related back 30K yrs from southern Siberia.