Slide show: 99% of human ancestors died 900,000 years ago. How we weathered this catastrophe and what it foretells as climate dislocations escalate

A study published in August 2023 suggests that human ancestors experienced a dramatic population decline 900,000 to 800,000 years ago, losing 98.7% of their numbers.

The study, published in Science, estimates that the population of breeding individuals was reduced to around 1,280 and remained this small for over 100,000 years.

Prior to this bottleneck, the population of breeding individuals ranged between 58,600 and 135,000, indicating a drastic reduction.

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Researchers argue that extreme cooling and severe droughts in Africa around 900,000 years ago contributed to the decline, along with the reduction of food sources.

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