Modern humans migrated out of Africa around 70,000 years ago, and almost all people currently living outside the continent are thought to have descended from those early pioneers.
Since Africa protected human ancestors from the extreme cold conditions of past ice ages, they lost their thick body hair and adapted to the continent’s heat.
But as humans migrated to colder regions, they went from being hunter gatherers to forming agricultural and pastoral societies. The changes compelled them to adapt and played a pivotal role in shaping human evolution and diversity.
Studies over the past two decades suggested that DNA variations within the fat mass and obesity-associated gene FTO were linked to the reduced heat-generating capacity of a set of human fat cells.
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Humans with this gene variation could have had enhanced body heat generation in cold climates, giving them a substantial survival advantage.
This could be one of the many gene variations that helped early humans adapt to cold environments, scientists said, adding that further studies on this trajectory of human evolution were needed.
“Much like the rock paintings adorning the walls of the Blombos Cave, our DNA serves as a faithful recorder of every notable event along the intricate path of human evolution,” scientists said.
