DNA research finds the world's oldest civilization
New research just revealed shows the world's oldest civilization belongs to the indigenous populations of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The findings indicated their ancestors had diverged from Eurasians 57,000 years ago, following a single exodus from Africa around 75,000 years ago.
The lead author of a new study in Nature says "They are probably the oldest group in the world that you can link to one particular place."
It finds that the ancestors of these indigenous populations arrived on Sahul—a supercontinent that once included New Guinea, Australia, and Tasmania—between 51,000 and 72,000 years ago.
In fact, the study suggests they were the first people to cross an ocean.
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