After Homo sapiens emerged in Africa, part of the species spread beyond the continent and within a few tens of thousands of years reached Asia, Australia, Europe, and eventually the Americas. There is evidence of earlier exit waves; however, the genetic heritage of people living outside Africa today is thought to derive mainly from a dispersal around 70–60,000 years ago. The exact date and route are debated.

The evidence is multi-stranded: fossils and stone tools across continents, but above all the DNA of both living and ancient humans. Genetic data show that populations outside Africa descend from a relatively small group, which is why diversity within Africa remains higher. The same data reveal that the migrating groups interbred with the Neanderthals and Denisovans they met along the way — a contribution still present in our genomes.

This dispersal was the moment the species ceased to be tied to one region and spread to a planetary scale. Every later regional history — distinct languages, cultures, and civilizations — was built on top of it.