Scientists have identified a severe climate crisis that occurred in Africa approximately 70,000 years ago, likely altering the course of human history.
Evidence from sediment layers collected from the bottoms of Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika in East Africa, and Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana indicates that the equatorial region of Africa experienced an extended drought period.
According to researchers, this drought likely prompted some of the earliest humans to leave Africa, subsequently leading to the global spread of humanity. Naturally, those who remained on the African continent during that time must have exhibited tremendous resilience and vitality to survive such dire conditions.
“This had a huge impact on the landscape, affecting not only humans but all wildlife in equatorial Africa at that time,” stated Professor C. Scholz from Syracuse University (USA).
The data collected by Professor Scholz reveals that over 75,000 years ago, due to the drought, Lake Malawi (now vast like an ocean, stretching 550 km long and 700 m deep) shrank to just a few small lakes, each less than 10 km wide and under 200 m deep. Even worse, Lake Bosumtwi (currently 10 km wide) was completely dried up. Clearly, a prolonged drought must have swept across the continent for an extended period to cause such devastating effects.
Genetic studies have also discovered that today’s modern human society descends from a group of approximately 10,000 individuals who lived in East Africa during this crisis. Immediately following the end of this crisis, the global population rapidly increased, and many of our ancestors began to migrate from Africa to settle in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
Scientists are increasingly convinced that past tragedies have reshaped the evolution of humanity. If this is the case, we owe a debt to our ancestors, as a small group of these individuals fought for survival during this crisis or chose to leave in search of water sources to ensure their existence.
