Bottleneck in Human Population May be Due to Ozone-Destroying Volcano
An ancient bottleneck in human population could be explained by an ancient volcano, and a whole lot of sulfur.
Reading the human genetic code reveals a bottleneck in human population took place between 100,000 and 60,000 years ago, suggesting our fledgling species suffered a massive loss of life at that time, significantly reducing human populations.
A new international study builds on earlier work, suggesting this ancient catastrophe may have been the result of a massive volcanic eruption, tearing apart the protective ozone layer surrounding the Earth. Early humans worldwide would have perished from famine and disease, potentially leading to the dip observed in human numbers during this time, researchers propose.
Sure, People Died, but Think of the Coffee…
At the site now known as Lake Toba in Sumatra, Indonesia, a massive volcano may have, long ago, altered human history and biology forever. This idea provides evidence for the Toba Catastrophe Theory, suggesting the Toba volcano erupted as a supervolcanic eruption 74,000 years ago.
“Toba has long been posited as a cause of the bottleneck, but initial investigations into the climate variables of temperature and precipitation provided no concrete…
