About 900,000 years ago, human ancestors nearly died out completely. The breeding population crashed to roughly 1,280 individuals and stayed that small for over 100,000 years. That's a 98% population drop. Incredibly, about 50% of people today carry the genetic signature of this bottleneck in their DNA. What we know about ancient technologies and languages may reflect the luckiest survivors rather than the most advanced cultures.
Human Ancestors Nearly Went Extinct 900,000 Years Ago
Key facts
- Population suddenly dropped by 98% to approximately 1,280 breeding individuals
- The population remained this small for over 100,000 years
- About 50% of people carry the genetic signature for this bottleneck in their DNA
- Severe population shrink likely caused loss of knowledge, technologies, and languages
- What survived may reflect the luckiest cultures rather than the most advanced ones
Sources
nature.com
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