[citalopram]

Humans Neared Extinction 70,000 Years Ago - Health News Story - KPRC Houston

Population May Have Dipped To 2,000
POSTED: 10:59 am CDT April 24, 2008

Human beings may have had a brush with extinction 70,000 years ago, an extensive genetic study suggests.

The number of early humans may have shrunk as low as 2,000 before numbers began to expand again in the early Stone Age, according to an analysis released Thursday.

"This study illustrates the extraordinary power of genetics to reveal insights into some of the key events in our species' history," Spencer Wells, National Geographic Society explorer in residence, said in a statement. "Tiny bands of early humans, forced apart by harsh environmental conditions, coming back from the brink to reunite and populate the world. Truly an epic drama, written in our DNA."

Wells is director of the Genographic Project, launched in 2005 to study anthropology using genetics. The report was published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Previous studies using mitochondrial DNA -- which is passed down through mothers -- have traced modern humans to a single "mitochondrial Eve," who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago.

The migrations of humans out of Africa to populate the rest of the world appear to have begun about 60,000 years ago, but little has been known about humans between Eve and that dispersal.

The new study looks at the mitochondrial DNA of the Khoi and San people in South Africa which appear to have diverged from other people between 90,000 and 150,000 years ago.

The researchers led by Doron Behar of Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel and Saharon Rosset of IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., and Tel Aviv University concluded that humans separated into small populations prior to the Stone Age, when they came back together and began to increase in numbers and spread to other areas.

Eastern Africa experienced a series of severe droughts between 135,000 and 90,000 years ago and the researchers said this climatological shift may have contributed to the population changes, dividing into small, isolated groups which developed independently.

Paleontologist Meave Leakey, a Genographic adviser, commented: "Who would have thought that as recently as 70,000 years ago, extremes of climate had reduced our population to such small numbers that we were on the very edge of extinction."

Today more than 6.6 billion people inhabit the globe, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The research was funded by the National Geographic Society, IBM, the Waitt Family Foundation, the Seaver Family Foundation, Family Tree DNA and Arizona Research Labs.

The thought that if traced back we all come from a small clan is rather amazing seeing as how some of society behaves when confronted with someone different than themselves.

[erepsysoulpfbs]

i just saw this posted yesterday

[tarmpriopay]

Whoa. What a ting.

And this: " Previous studies using mitochondrial DNA -- which is passed down through mothers -- have traced modern humans to a single "mitochondrial Eve," who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago."

Humans have been in existence for that long?
but...but it's only 2008.

[stuntduood]

Whoa. What a ting.

And this: " Previous studies using mitochondrial DNA -- which is passed down through mothers -- have traced modern humans to a single "mitochondrial Eve," who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago."

Humans have been in existence for that long?
but...but it's only 2008.

Well humans were alive during what we have dubbed B.C. and before time was ever recorded.

[L0KoxewQ]

Whoa. What a ting.

And this: " Previous studies using mitochondrial DNA -- which is passed down through mothers -- have traced modern humans to a single "mitochondrial Eve," who lived in Africa about 200,000 years ago."

Humans have been in existence for that long?
but...but it's only 2008.

Everyone acknowledged 2008 because of the BC and AC thing

[Prererularl]

Everyone acknowledged 2008 because of the BC and AC thing

thats the first time ive seen someone use AC instead of AD

[Binuilienzync]

thats the first time ive seen someone use AC instead of AD

ROFL yes, youre right it is AD

[drexigordiche]

and C.E. I believe

[spoddersedpn]

Everyone acknowledged 2008 because of the BC and AC thing

and C.E. I believe

Is that related to AC/DC





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[repldoinfo]

if it did then it would rock!

[thargeagsaf]

if it did then it would rock!

True dat.