All humans today trace their ancestry back to Africa, where modern humans emerged at least 300,000 years ago. However, the exact origins of our species remain a subject of debate among scientists. One theory suggests that a single population in Africa gave rise to modern humans, while another proposes that multiple populations intermingled to create a stem population that eventually evolved into our species. The ecological diversity of the African continent and the subsequent intermingling of multiple populations may have contributed to the evolution of modern humans’ advanced cognition and social cooperation.