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The Ādam Paradox Hypothesis 236
Expected Outcome
Identify whether human-specific regulatory changes cluster near ~70kya and are
absent in archaic humans.
If yes: It supports the APH idea that around 70,000 years ago, a regulatory
ignition event in our genome triggered the leap to symbolic thought and
advanced culture.
If no: If changes scatter randomly across 300–50kya, or also appear in
Neanderthals and Denisovans, then APH weakens and gradualist
explanations become stronger.
In either case, genomics provides a decisive test: Was there a sharp ignition in
our DNA, or not?
Likely Scenario
What APH predicts: A cluster of regulatory sweeps (HAR1, FOXP2,
SRGAP2C, enhancers) around ~70,000 years ago, unique to Homo sapiens.
What gradualism predicts: Sweeps scattered across 300k–50k years, with
no clear ignition point.
Likely outcome: Current genomic evidence already hints at human-
accelerated regions and FOXP2 being distinctive. The challenge is dating
with ±10k precision. When the data improves, we probably won’t find one
single mutation that explains the leap in human cognition. Instead, we’ll
likely see a cluster of regulatory changes, all happening roughly around the
70,000-year mark, which together pushed Homo sapiens past the symbolic
threshold.