Asian stone tools hint humans left Africa earlier than thought

Biologists usually reserve the terms "extinct" and "extinction" for talking about a species or a subspecies.

For example, there are several subspecies of Puma concolor, the cougar/puma/panther/catamount, which is the largest feline in the Western Hemisphere. Since the arrival of the Christian marauders with their guns in the 16th century, their population has decreased to the point that there is little contact between the subspecies. As a result, many of the subspecies are now extinct.

But when we talk about a group or population that is identified primarily by location rather than genetics, it is not correct to use the term "extinction" if it disappears, or is replaced by another group, or is joined by another group.

It is well-established that there are no subspecies of Homo sapiens. The usual explanation is that there is less genetic variation between a human born in Norway and one born in Sumatra, than there is between a Chihuahua and an Irish wolfhound. And of course we all know that Canis lupus familiaris, the dog, is a subspecies of wolf. All of the various "breeds" are too similar genetically to be categorized as subspecies.

So just as it would be wrong to talk about German shepherds becoming extinct, it would be just as wrong to talk about the German people becoming extinct. Their DNA is everywhere.

The first Indo-European tribe to colonize Europe and displace the Cro-Magnon were the Celtic people. The next tribe were the Germanic people, who established themselves in Scandinavia and eventually sailed and walked down into Central Europe. But throughout this journey they constantly encountered other populations of humans with whom they traded, fought and mated. If you choose two Germans at random and look at their DNA, you won't find an enormous similarity. In fact, if you cross the border into France and pick two of the people you find there, you'll have a hard time supporting the contention that they are distinct populations.

So to talk about your "German descendants" is ridiculous. All you can say about yourself and your descendants is that they are Americans, a word that says more about where they live than where their ancestors came from.

My own great-grandparents were Czech, English and Jewish. Each of those ethnic groups is an amalgam of several different peoples whom they conquered, were conquered by, or simply lived among. My DNA would be very difficult to categorize. Like you, I'm nothing more or less than an American.