Where Did They Go?
Africa is where humans first truly evolved, and where we as a genus have spent the majority of our time on Earth, proving the fact that our species is an African one. The earliest fossils of recognizably modern Homo sapiens appeared in the fossil record at Omo Kibish in Ethiopia, around 200,000 years ago. Earlier fossils may be found over the coming years, but this is our best understanding of approximately when and where we originated.
According to the genetic and paleontological record,, we only began to leave Africa between 60,000 and 70,000 years ago. It is uncertain, what set the stage for this, but it is believed to have something to do with major climatic shifts that were happening around that time, like a sudden cooling in the Earth’s climate provoked by the commencement of one of the worst parts of the last Ice Age. This cold snap would have made life difficult for our African ancestors, and the genetic evidence points to a sharp reduction in population size around this time. In fact, the human population likely dropped to fewer than 10,000! We held on, but only by the smallest thread.
Once the climate started to improve, after 70,000 years ago, we came back from this near-extinction event. The population expanded, and some bold explorers ventured beyond African land. The earliest people to colonize the Eurasian landmass likely did so across the Bab-al-Mandab Strait, separating present-day Yemen from Djibouti. These early "beachcombers" expanded at a rapid pace along the coast to India, then reached Southeast Asia and Australia by 50,000 years ago. We have been led beyond Africa and all the way across the globe by the first great expedition of our species.
Slightly later (a little after 50,000 years ago), a second group appears to have set out on an inland trek, leaving behind the certainties of life in the tropics to head out into the Middle East and Southern Central Asia. From these base camps, they were poised to colonize the northern latitudes of Asia, Europe, and beyond.
According to the genetic and paleontological record,, we only began to leave Africa between 60,000 and 70,000 years ago. It is uncertain, what set the stage for this, but it is believed to have something to do with major climatic shifts that were happening around that time, like a sudden cooling in the Earth’s climate provoked by the commencement of one of the worst parts of the last Ice Age. This cold snap would have made life difficult for our African ancestors, and the genetic evidence points to a sharp reduction in population size around this time. In fact, the human population likely dropped to fewer than 10,000! We held on, but only by the smallest thread.
Once the climate started to improve, after 70,000 years ago, we came back from this near-extinction event. The population expanded, and some bold explorers ventured beyond African land. The earliest people to colonize the Eurasian landmass likely did so across the Bab-al-Mandab Strait, separating present-day Yemen from Djibouti. These early "beachcombers" expanded at a rapid pace along the coast to India, then reached Southeast Asia and Australia by 50,000 years ago. We have been led beyond Africa and all the way across the globe by the first great expedition of our species.
Slightly later (a little after 50,000 years ago), a second group appears to have set out on an inland trek, leaving behind the certainties of life in the tropics to head out into the Middle East and Southern Central Asia. From these base camps, they were poised to colonize the northern latitudes of Asia, Europe, and beyond.