Human Ancestry Faced Severe Bottleneck, Study Suggests

Today, more than eight billion people live on Earth. Human settlements have spread to every corner of the globe. Large cities, modern technology, agriculture, industry, and science have established humans as the most influential species on Earth.

However, looking at human history about nine hundred thousand years ago, the picture appears completely different. At that time, our ancestors were not a large population species. They were struggling with changing climate, food scarcity, and harsh environments. If a genetic study is to be believed, a large part of human ancestors was on the verge of extinction around that time.