Before our species appeared on Earth, ancient human populations in Europe experienced an unimaginable catastrophe.
According to Sci-News, a recent study indicates that climate change could have turned Europe into a dead continent. This event occurred around 1.1 million years ago, with ancient human species being the direct victims.
As anthropological studies have shown, although our wise species, Homo sapiens, emerged only about 300,000 years ago, the human world has been incredibly diverse for millions of years.
Another ancient human community in Europe – (Illustrative photo from SCI-NEWS).
Europe before the deadly threshold of 1.1 million years ago was similar. The oldest human remains found in Europe were discovered in Iberia, indicating that the first humans arrived on this continent from Southwest Asia approximately 1.4 million years ago.
During the time when Homo sapiens emerged—when the world still had at least 8-9 other sibling species—it is believed to have been one of the most densely populated regions.
Europe from 1.4 to 1.1 million years ago may have been similar. However, the fossil record vanished for an extended period after that point.
The research team, led by Professor Chronis Tzingakis from University College London (UCL), sought answers by analyzing the chemical composition of marine microorganisms and examining pollen content in deep-sea sediment cores taken off the coast of Portugal.
This analysis revealed the presence of a sudden cold climate shift, causing sea surface temperatures off Lisbon to drop by as much as 6 degrees Celsius.
This would signify an extreme cooling period on land. The warm and humid climate was abruptly replaced by a brief but harsh glacial period that exceeded human endurance thresholds.
According to Professor Nick Ashton from the British Museum, a member of the research team, part of the reason for this mass extinction was that primitive humans were less adaptable to harsh conditions, including their ability to generate heat through fat, create fire tools, and have adequate clothing or shelter.
The study published in the journal Science confirms that this terrifying climate change left all of Europe devoid of human presence.
Ancient humans only returned to this land, reorganizing communities, from about 900,000 years ago.
The subsequent populations were more evolved, more resilient in survival, and capable of contending with the harsh frost that occasionally enveloped the land, as evidenced by findings revealed in numerous previous excavations.
