Human beings may have had a brush with extinction 70,000 years ago, an extensive genetic study suggests.
The human population at that time was reduced to small isolated groups in Africa, apparently because of drought, according to an analysis released Thursday.
The report notes that a separate study by researchers at Stanford University estimated that the number of early humans may have shrunk as low as 2,000 before numbers began to expand again in the early Stone Age.
CNN: ‘Humans nearly wiped out 70,000 years ago, study says’
BBC News website: Human line ‘nearly split in two’
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
I am not clear as to how accurate these sort of genetic studies really are. If the Khoi and San diverged 90K-150K ago, why would a study of Khoi and San cast any light on the rest of us?
Why would droughts tens of thousands of years earlier have caused a near extinction at 70K?
I understand there was a major eruption in Indonesia (Toba I think), around 70K. I think it was the biggest eruption since Sapiens have been around – and could have had fairly bad nuclear winter effects for a few years. Might have been the cause, (if the study really is valid).
This interpretation assumes that the Big Bang Theory is the right explanation of history.
But what if it isn’t?
Putting it another way, is there the slighest possibility we have read history wrong?
My reason for my previous post is that adherents of that idea interpret the past in a particular way; it might not be right.
History could well repeat itself.
There is an interesting article in the International Herald Tribune (16 April), under the headline: “Ag Secretary: ‘We have never been less secure’ about wheat”.
The article goes on to say:
“We have never been less secure about the near-term future of wheat…Global wheat stocks are at an unprecedented historic 30-year low, and U.S. wheat stocks are at unprecedented 60-year low.”
The cause?
“Wheat stocks have dwindled in the wake of crop failures in some of the world’s major growing regions, even as global population growth has created increasing demands for the commodity. Drought, floods and late freezes have all had an impact.”
Gotta love all this global warming.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/16/america/NA-GEN-US-Food-Aid.php
Obviously, droughts occurred because cavemen drove Hummers.
Funny how Ivan hasn’t seriously contemplated his own report.
Anyway didn’t think our African ancestors hung around in caves – they were probably enjoying the climate brought by one of those “beneficial” MWP-like periods.