Melissa Wilson Sayres, a professor at ASU studying genetics, participated in research that looked at Y chromosomes from more than 1,200 DNA samples taken from men around the world.

Wilson Sayres said the data allows them to infer how and when early humans evolved and migrated across the globe. The data shows population explosions occured across Europe and Asia around 55,000 years ago and a similar expansion happened in the Americas around 15,000 years ago.