When Earth froze and so did our ancient ancestors

Scientists have unveiled evidence of a frigid event that emerged as one of the biggest threat to our ancient ancestors, long before homo-sapiens walked out of Africa.

The massive North Atlantic cooling event occurred approximately 1.1 million years ago, lasting for about 4,000 years.

This climatic catastrophe is believed to have wiped out the entire population of Homo erectus, the first human species to have expanded beyond Africa, who had colonised Europe.

The chilling period, comparable in intensity to more recent ice ages, rendered Europe inhospitable for early human hunter-gatherers.

Extreme glaciation deprived them of food resources, and their survival was further challenged by a lack of cold tolerance, insufficient fat insulation, and difficulties in creating effective clothing, shelter, and fire.

Anthropologist Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London, a co-author of the research, stated, "There was probably a complete interruption in the early human occupation of Europe, possibly for a considerable time, with an entirely new population eventually coming back."

The number of individuals who perished in this regional extinction event remains unclear, but estimates suggest a population of tens of thousands across Europe.

This event took place during the Pleistocene epoch, marked by global cooling episodes. Contrary to previous beliefs, the study demonstrates that human occupation of Europe was not continuous, but rather punctuated by at least one regional climate-induced extinction.

Climate physicist Axel Timmermann of Pusan National University in South Korea, a co-author of the study, suggests that Europe may have been recolonized around 900,000 years ago by more resilient humans with evolutionary or behavioral changes that allowed survival in the increasing intensity of glacial conditions.

The researchers reconstructed the ancient climate using organic compounds left by tiny algae and pollen content in a deep-sea sediment core drilled off Portugal's coast.

Computer simulations were run to gauge effects on human habitats, revealing an average air temperature drop of about 8 degrees Fahrenheit (4.5 degrees Celsius).

Our evolutionary lineage split from the chimpanzee and bonobo lineage roughly 7 million years ago, with a succession of species then acquiring more human-like traits.
Despite the hardships faced by Homo erectus, subsequent human species proved more resilient amid persistent glacial conditions, leading to the eventual colonization of Europe by Homo sapiens around 60,000 years ago.

"The study provides insights into the initial vulnerability of early human species to environmental changes and how eventually they adapted to increasing glacial climatic stress," Timmermann concluded.