New Research: Human Ancestors Nearly Went Extinct 900,000 Years Ago

For 76 years, the 'Doomsday Clock' has served as a metaphor for the occurrence of a global catastrophe and the approach of humanity's extinction, with threats such as nuclear war and climate change. This clock, updated every January by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, was moved forward this year primarily due to the increasing dangers of war in Ukraine, now set at 90 seconds to midnight [catastrophe]. However, if this mechanism had existed 900,000 years ago, it might have been estimated that only one second remained until the end of humanity. A new and intriguing genetic study utilizing modern methods has shown that our ancestors at that time had reduced to 1,280 individuals, and long before modern humans appeared, their lineage was nearly wiped from the earth. This study, published in the journal 'Science', analyzed the genetic lineage of 3,150 modern humans to trace their characteristics and model the population patterns that likely produced their genome. The results indicate that between 813,000 and 930,000 years ago, the population of ancient humans that eventually gave rise to modern human species experienced a genetic phenomenon known as a 'bottleneck', significantly reducing their numbers to the point where our ancestors approached complete extinction for reasons unknown, possibly including environmental conditions. This research shows that our ancestors managed to survive in very small numbers for a very long time—close to 120,000 years—but when conditions became favorable for human habitation again, whether through climate changes or technological advancements, survival improved. The researchers suggest that this long period during which our ancestors survived in small numbers may have led to the evolution of a completely new species, possibly the last common ancestor of modern humans or Homo sapiens and our close relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans. Nick Ashton, a Paleolithic archaeologist at the British Museum who was not involved in this research, states that the population decline likely affected only a limited group, perhaps in Africa, where modern human ancestors originated. He believes that potential reasons for the population bottleneck, whether regional drought, volcanic activity, or other environmental factors, should be examined more deeply. This report utilized sources such as 'Science' and 'Smithsonian Magazine'.