Humans Nearly Went Extinct 1.2M Years Ago 356
Hugh Pickens writes "Scientific American has a story on researchers from the University of Utah who have calculated that 1.2 million years ago, at a time when our ancestors Homo erectus, H. ergaster, and archaic H. sapiens were spreading through Africa, Europe, and Asia, there were probably only about 18,500 individuals capable of breeding in all these species together (PNAS paper here). Pre-humans were an endangered species with a smaller population than today's gorillas and chimpanzees. Researchers scanned two completely sequenced modern human genomes for a type of mobile element called Alu sequences, then compared the nucleotides in these old regions with the overall diversity in the two genomes to estimate differences in effective population size, and thus genetic diversity between modern and early humans. Human geneticist Lynn Jorde says that the diminished genetic diversity one million years ago suggests human ancestors experienced a catastrophic event at that time as devastating as the Toba super-volcano in Indonesia that triggered a nuclear winter and is thought to have nearly annihilated humans 70,000 years ago."
Pfft... (Score:4, Funny)
We were saved! (Score:3, Funny)
Luckily, magic underwear was discovered and humans survived the event.
So... BSG was right. (Score:5, Funny)
Obviously this is when Adama and the fleet landed on Earth. BSG was right all along!
Re:Slow news day? (Score:5, Funny)
Because 1.2 million is the same as 70,000, right? You must work for Goldman Sachs.
Nuclear Volcano? (Score:2, Funny)
Nuclear winter? Volcano? Paging xenu... (Score:3, Funny)
I'm just saying, there's some suspicious congruencies there.
That was the reason! (Score:2, Funny)
More evidence supporting the B Ark theory of human origins...
So, Only 18,500 Individuals Capable of Breeding? (Score:3, Funny)
Sounds like where we'll be at after another three seasons of American Idol.
The Ancients died of a plague and most of them asc (Score:3, Funny)
The Ancients died of a plague and most of them ascended.
Re:The new dogma of genetics (Score:5, Funny)
But why should we assume a uniform rate over time, when evolutionary theory says that genetic differentiation happens in leaps and bounds?
Sources should always be cited when making this kind of argument. I'll do it for you this time:
Pr. Charles Xavier, X-Men movie introduction speech
This explains why humans prevailed (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Pfft... (Score:5, Funny)
And a mere 6000 years ago too. All that business about 70,000 and 1.2 millions years ago is a distraction to test our faith.
Re:Toba volcano ? Nuclear winter ? (Score:5, Funny)
From The Onion: [theonion.com]
Sumerians Look On In Confusion As God Creates World
"Members of the earth's earliest known civilization, the Sumerians, looked on in shock and confusion some 6,000 years ago as God, the Lord Almighty, created Heaven and Earth.
YIR numbers web 5
According to recently excavated clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform script, thousands of Sumerians--the first humans to establish systems of writing, agriculture, and government--were working on their sophisticated irrigation systems when the Father of All Creation reached down from the ether and blew the divine spirit of life into their thriving civilization.
"I do not understand," reads an ancient line of pictographs depicting the sun, the moon, water, and a Sumerian who appears to be scratching his head. "A booming voice is saying, 'Let there be light,' but there is already light. It is saying, 'Let the earth bring forth grass,' but I am already standing on grass."
Re:This means ... (Score:4, Funny)
You mean we survived a near extinction event and all I got was this lousy intelligence and humor?
Re:Nuclear Volcano? (Score:5, Funny)
Oh no. We better get greenpeace on that to put a stop to that nuclear nonsense.
The Bible Even Says So! (Score:0, Funny)
Leave it to Deseret University (a.k.a., University of Utah), founded by Brigham Young, to come out with these scientific findings...
But the ancient wisdom of the Bible already spoke of this timeline... Daniel 5:25, 7:25, 12:7; Revelation 12:14: "time, times, and half a time", or [y = x + 2x + x/2].
In Revelation, "time, times, and half a time" is spoken of as a three and a half year period (to simplify the equation above, y = 3.5x [Rev. 11:2,3, 12:6, 13:5]). It is given as a time that man would flee from the beast (as nature is red in tooth and claw).
To interpret the length of this time period, we can employ the idea that "one day for God is as 1,000 years for us" (2 Peter 3:8, Psalm 90:4).
If x is equal to one year of days according to God's reckoning, then x = 365*1000... To substitute this value of x into our equation above, we get [y = 3.5(365*1000)].
Or...
y = 1.2775 million years that man has been fighting the fight of evolution with nature
These equations also relate to star polygonal arithmetic and points equidistant on the perimeter of perfect circles, but I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader (hint: y = 7 * x/2).
Re:There's a message in this somewhere (Score:0, Funny)
actually, you're not very far off. satan does this.
and we won't go extinct until the dragon rises and gives it's power/authority to the beast, who will rule the world.
Re:"Nuclear" Winter (Score:5, Funny)
Quite right. Such terms should be reserved for events like the 1912 San Francisco Shellfish Riots.
Re:This means ... (Score:5, Funny)
I think I heard something.
I am not sure I remember it right.
I can't be bothered to look it up.
Clearly a prime candidate for an Insightful mod.
Re:say that to the tasmanian wolf (Score:4, Funny)
Humans nearly went extinct during the nuclear missile crisis
In that event, I would not rule out the chance to preserve a nucleus of human specimens. It would be quite easy at the bottom of some of our deeper mine shafts. The radioactivity would never penetrate a mine some thousands of feet deep. And in a matter of weeks, sufficient improvements in dwelling space could easily be provided. Nuclear reactors could provide power almost indefinitely. Greenhouses could maintain plant life. Animals could be bred and slaughtered. A quick survey would have to be made of all the available mine sites in the country. But I would guess that dwelling space for several hundred thousands of our people could easily be provided. With the proper breeding techniques and a ratio of say, ten females to each male, I would guess that they could then work their way back to the present gross national product within say, twenty years.
Re:Toba volcano ? Nuclear winter ? (Score:5, Funny)
"I do not understand," reads an ancient line of pictographs depicting the sun, the moon, water, and a Sumerian who appears to be scratching his head. "A booming voice is saying, 'Let there be light,' but there is already light. It is saying, 'Let the earth bring forth grass,' but I am already standing on grass."
So... an alternate headline would be "Ancient Sumerian on grass hears voice of God".
Re:Pfft... (Score:2, Funny)
>I'll just feel bad for you
How could you not say "I'll just pray for you"
Re:say that to the tasmanian wolf (Score:3, Funny)
Re:We were saved! (Score:4, Funny)
Luckily, magic underwear was discovered and humans survived the event.
I'm reading about a new theory that argues H. Sapiens actually DID die out and was replaced by the nearly identical H. Idioticus. Personally, I could see such a genus appealing to magic underwear for survival.
So what you're saying is (Score:3, Funny)
In that event, I would not rule out the chance to preserve a nucleus of human specimens. It would be quite easy at the bottom of some of our deeper mine shafts.
Mr. President, we cannot allow a mineshaft gap! [imdb.com]
Re:We get around (Score:3, Funny)
The lofty flowering Cherry! The plucky little Apsen! The limping Roo tree of Nigeria.
The towering Wattle of Aldershot! The Maidenhead Weeping Water Plant!
The naughty Leicestershire Flashing Oak! The flatulent Elm of West Ruislip!
The Quercus Maximus Bamber Gascoigni! The Epigillus! The Barter Hughius Greenus!
Re:This means ... (Score:4, Funny)
However, you are genetically diverse enough from your first cousin that there are no genetic problems, other than sharing undesirable, recessive, genetic diseases.
And of course, sharing undesirable relatives
Re:Pfft... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:"Nuclear" Winter (Score:1, Funny)
Yes, I'm aware the eruption could come earlier than previously observed, but it's not really worth worrying about events with astronomical odds that you can do nothing about now is it?
Is this in a memo? Could you send it to the airline industry? Thanks.
Re:Pfft... (Score:5, Funny)