Human population nearly went extinct – with just 1,280 people left
Hiyah Zaidi Published June 20, 2025 12:50pm Link is copied Comments Humans have been around for a while, but we haven't always been an abundant species. In fact, ancient humanity was almost wiped out around 900,000 years ago and the global population dwindled to a mere 1,280 reproducing individuals, a study claims. And the researchers also claim that they stayed like this for 117,000 years. So, what is going on? (Picture: Getty) The study, which is published in the journal Science, reveals human ancestors in Africa almost faced extinction, and the research suggests there was a drastic reduction in the population of our ancestors well before our species, Homo sapiens, also known as modern humans, emerged. The information is based on a new computer model developed by a group of scientists based in China, Italy and the United States (Picture: Getty) The researchers used a statistical method and gathered genetic information from 3,154 present-day human genomes. They found that around 98.7% of human ancestors were lost. The researchers say that the population crash matches with a gap in the fossil record. They say this could have led to a new hominin species that was a common ancestor of modern humans, or Homo sapiens, and Neanderthals (Picture: Getty) Senior author Dr Yi-Hsuan Pan, an evolutionary and functional genomicist at East China Normal University, said: 'The novel finding opens a new field in human evolution because it evokes many questions, such as the places where these individuals lived, how they overcame the catastrophic climate changes, and whether natural selection during the bottleneck has accelerated the evolution of the human brain' (Picture: Getty) The exact cause is unknown, but it is thought that the near-extinction has been blamed on Africa's climate getting much colder and drier. Dr Pan said: 'The novel finding opens a new field in human evolution by raising many new questions. 'Where did these individuals live? How did they overcome catastrophic climate change? And did natural selection during the bottleneck affect their evolution? All this remains to be answered' (Picture: Getty) It's fine to say 900,000 years ago, but in what period of human evolution did this happen? The researchers say that the signature of this bottleneck can be seen in the genetics of people with non-African heritage. Therefore, it would have been hundreds of thousands of years before humans migrated outside of Africa. The researchers estimated that there would have been an effective population size of around 1,280 individuals between 930,000 and 813,000 years ago. But, this doesn't mean this was the entire population, only this number successfully bred and passed on their genes to the next generation (Picture: Getty) The bottleneck also coincided with dramatic changes in climate during what's known as the mid-Pleistocene transition. At this time, glacial periods became longer and more intense, leading to a drop in temperature and very dry climatic conditions. However, the researchers also suggested that the control of fire, as well as the climate shifting to be more hospitable for human life, may have led to a later rapid population increase around 813,000 years ago (Picture: Getty)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Human population nearly went extinct – with just 1,280 people left
Hiyah Zaidi Published June 20, 2025 12:50pm Link is copied Comments Humans have been around for a while, but we haven't always been an abundant species. In fact, ancient humanity was almost wiped out around 900,000 years ago and the global population dwindled to a mere 1,280 reproducing individuals, a study claims. And the researchers also claim that they stayed like this for 117,000 years. So, what is going on? (Picture: Getty) The study, which is published in the journal Science, reveals human ancestors in Africa almost faced extinction, and the research suggests there was a drastic reduction in the population of our ancestors well before our species, Homo sapiens, also known as modern humans, emerged. The information is based on a new computer model developed by a group of scientists based in China, Italy and the United States (Picture: Getty) The researchers used a statistical method and gathered genetic information from 3,154 present-day human genomes. They found that around 98.7% of human ancestors were lost. The researchers say that the population crash matches with a gap in the fossil record. They say this could have led to a new hominin species that was a common ancestor of modern humans, or Homo sapiens, and Neanderthals (Picture: Getty) Senior author Dr Yi-Hsuan Pan, an evolutionary and functional genomicist at East China Normal University, said: 'The novel finding opens a new field in human evolution because it evokes many questions, such as the places where these individuals lived, how they overcame the catastrophic climate changes, and whether natural selection during the bottleneck has accelerated the evolution of the human brain' (Picture: Getty) The exact cause is unknown, but it is thought that the near-extinction has been blamed on Africa's climate getting much colder and drier. Dr Pan said: 'The novel finding opens a new field in human evolution by raising many new questions. 'Where did these individuals live? How did they overcome catastrophic climate change? And did natural selection during the bottleneck affect their evolution? All this remains to be answered' (Picture: Getty) It's fine to say 900,000 years ago, but in what period of human evolution did this happen? The researchers say that the signature of this bottleneck can be seen in the genetics of people with non-African heritage. Therefore, it would have been hundreds of thousands of years before humans migrated outside of Africa. The researchers estimated that there would have been an effective population size of around 1,280 individuals between 930,000 and 813,000 years ago. But, this doesn't mean this was the entire population, only this number successfully bred and passed on their genes to the next generation (Picture: Getty) The bottleneck also coincided with dramatic changes in climate during what's known as the mid-Pleistocene transition. At this time, glacial periods became longer and more intense, leading to a drop in temperature and very dry climatic conditions. However, the researchers also suggested that the control of fire, as well as the climate shifting to be more hospitable for human life, may have led to a later rapid population increase around 813,000 years ago (Picture: Getty)
Times
7 hours ago
- Times
My famous father — the fraudulent, fantasist scientist
'When I was small,' Joanne Briggs writes touchingly. 'I believed my dad to be the only man who knew all science.' Michael Briggs had all but disappeared from her life in the early 1970s when she was seven after walking out on her mother, but she would correct anyone who showed pity for her as a fatherless child. Dad hadn't gone, she would tell them, he was just in another country being a very famous scientist in the fields of space, and poisons, and having babies. 'Anything you can think of, really, he's an expert in it.' She wasn't the only one to have this inflated view of her father's expertise. Indeed, the scientific establishment shared it, at least for a while. Michael was a Nasa space scientist turned pharmacologist, a renowned specialist in biochemistry, an adviser to the World Health Organisation and a university dean of sciences. He had written papers on topics ranging from human hormones to meteorites and intergalactic travel. The son of a typewriter mechanic from Manchester, he was a self-made man, bouncing round the world from Australia to Pasadena, taking on ever more prestigious positions, pushing at the boundaries of the scientific imagination and 'grabbing hold of everything the Jet Age had to offer'.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
The strange sign in your EARWAX that can predict if you'll develop devastating brain disorder
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) YOUR earwax could be used to predict whether you'll develop Parkinson's, scientists say, About 153,000 people in the UK live with the devastating neurological disorder, caused by a loss of nerve cells in the brain. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Earwax could be used to predict whether someone will get Parkinson's or catch the disease in its early stages Credit: Getty The progressive disease is characterised by symptoms such as tremors, slow movement and muscle stiffness, which slowly get worse. According to researchers Zhejiang University in China, most Parkinson's treatments only slow the disease's progression, so early diagnosis is important for managing symptoms. But current tests for spotting the disease - such as brain scans or rating scales - can be expensive or subjective, they said. Now, a study published to Analytical Chemistry suggests that earwax could be used as a cost effective way to screen people for Parkinson's. Researchers claimed they'd developed a new AI system that could help catch the disease at an early stage, using earwax samples. Previous studies have shown that changes in sebum - an oily substance secreted by the skin - could help identify people with Parkinson's. Sebum from people with the disease may have a characteristic, musky smell because volatile organic compounds released by sebum are altered by disease progression. But sebum on the surface of the skin isn't a reliable substance for testing as it's exposed to pollution or humidity, which can change its composition. However, sebum in ear canals is sheltered from the elements. Seeing as the oily substance is the main component of earwax and it's easy to sample, researchers decided to use it for their screening tool. Good Morning Britain star reveals Parkinson's diagnosis after tragic death of his wife To identify the compounds released by sebum in people with Parkinson's, the researchers swabbed the ear canals of 209 participants, more than half of which were diagnosed with the condition. They then analysed wax samples, identifying four volatile organic compounds specific to people with Parkinson's. Those include ethylbenzene, 4-ethyltoluene, pentanal, and 2-pentadecyl-1,3-dioxolane. Researchers said these could serve as potential biomarkers for Parkinson's. Using these findings, they were able to develop a system that inexpensively screens for Parkinson's. Everything you need to know about Parkinson's Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition, meaning that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time. It affects around 153,000 people in the UK. People with Parkinson's don't have enough of the chemical dopamine because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working. This can cause a range of more than 40 symptoms, but the three main ones are: Tremor (shaking) Slow movement Rigidity (muscle stiffness) Other common signs include: Mild memory and thinking problems Trouble sleeping Issues with balance Pain Anxiety and depression Shuffling walk with very small steps Difficulty making facial expressions Loss of sense of smell Problems peeing Constipation The four main ways of managing Parkinson's include medication, staying active, exploring occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech and language therapy, and monitoring symptoms. Source: Parkinson's UK and NHS They trained an artificial intelligence olfactory system - a robotic model that can mimic how we smell - with their ear wax compound data. They found it was able to categorise samples with and without Parkinson's with 94 percent accuracy. Researchers suggested their system could be used to a first-line screening tool for early Parkinson's detection and could help improve care for condition by making it possible to administer treatments earlier. Author Hao Dong said: 'This method is a small-scale single-center experiment in China." 2 'The next step is to conduct further research at different stages of the disease, in multiple research centres and among multiple ethnic groups, in order to determine whether this method has greater practical application value.' Earlier this year, scientists warned of a surge in cases of Parkinson's. They said 25 million people across the world will be living with the debilitating brain condition by 2050. Researchers from Capital Medical University in Beijing, China, estimated that an ageing population would drive the surge in cases of Parkinson's disease over the next 25 years. According to Parkinson's UK, the condition is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.
