Fresh studies indicate a critical period in the development of the early ancestors of Homo sapiens that almost marked the end of their existence. An international team of scientists from China, Italy, and the United States has shed light on an inexplicable gap in the African and Eurasian paleontological records.
The researchers used an innovative method called Fitcoal to analyze the genomic sequences of 3,154 modern individuals. Their findings, published in the journal Science, reveal that for approximately 117,000 years, the number of human ancestors dwindled to a mere 1,280 individuals.
This significant reduction in population explains the gaps observed in the paleontological data corresponding to the early Stone Age. Scientists believe that climatic changes such as droughts, the loss of food sources, and temperature fluctuations were the main factors behind this sharp decline.
An intriguing finding is that this population bottleneck could have led to the loss of around 65.85% of modern genetic diversity. However, it also played a role in the merging of two ancestral chromosomes, giving rise to the modern chromosome 2 in Homo sapiens. Furthermore, these findings establish a connection between the last common ancestor of Denisovans, Neanderthals, and modern humans.
Lee Haipen, the senior author of the study from the Shanghai Institute for Nutrition and Health, highlights that this is only the beginning. Scientists remain hopeful for future discoveries that will unveil more secrets about the early period of humanity and shed light on the survival strategies of ancient populations in challenging environments.
This study is the result of collaborative efforts from the international team of scientists involving specialists from China, Italy, and the United States. To access the full study, please visit this link.