New Study Reveals Ancient Human Population Decline and Survival
New research has shed light on a defining moment in human history nearly a million years ago that brought our ancestors dangerously close to extinction. According to genomic data, humanity’s population plummeted from approximately 100,000 individuals to a mere 1,280 breeding individuals around 900,000 years ago. This shocking population decline of 98.7% lasted a staggering 117,000 years.
The study, conducted by a team of geneticists, utilized a newly developed method called FitCoal to analyze the genomic data of 3,154 modern humans from various regions across the globe. Their results unveiled a significant population bottleneck that occurred between 930,000 and 813,000 years ago, resulting in a disturbing loss of genetic diversity of up to 65.85%.
The cause of this population bottleneck remains uncertain, but scientific experts suggest that the Mid-Pleistocene Transition may have played a significant role. This transition period, marked by drastic changes in Earth’s glaciation cycles, could have disrupted the environment and resources available to our ancestors, leading to a severe decline in population numbers.
Despite the alarming decline, humanity managed to survive this tumultuous period, as evidenced by our existence today. This resilience has left scientists perplexed, as the population bottleneck brought our ancestors perilously close to the brink of extinction. However, the fact that we persevered raises intriguing questions about the factors that contributed to our survival and subsequent evolutionary trajectory.
In addition to elucidating the population decline, the research also revealed a fascinating connection between the bottleneck and the formation of chromosome 2, which is unique to humans. The fusion of two chromosomes seems to have occurred during this period, potentially playing a role in our distinctive genetic makeup.
This groundbreaking study opens up new avenues of exploration into the mysteries of early human ancestry and evolution. By better understanding the challenges our ancestors faced during this critical period, scientists hope to gain deeper insights into human evolution and the factors that ultimately shaped the development of the human species.
The findings serve as a reminder of the resilience of our species and the importance of understanding our collective history. As we continue to unravel the complexities of our past, each discovery unveils valuable knowledge that can inform our present and shape our future.
