Human evolutionary genetics

Human evolutionary genetics is the study of how our genes--the instructions for who we are--have changed over time. We know that our species, Homo sapiens, started out as a single population of humans in Africa around 200,000 years ago. Over time, different groups of these humans began to spread out of Africa and into other places around the world. As these groups spread, they mixed and interbred with each other, leading to new, unique genetic combinations which helped them to survive in different environments. Through time, these groups slowly evolved differently and adapted to the places they lived in. This means that the genetic makeup of different people today is a result of the many changes that happened to our ancestors in the past!