September 04, 2023 04:14 pm | Updated 04:14 pm ISTA novel genomic analysis technique has helped reveal the reasons for a ‘bottleneck’ in the growth of the human population that almost wiped out the chance for humankind as it exists today, scientists reported in a study published in Science. They were able to determine demographic characteristics using modern-day human genome sequences from 3,154 individuals and a new analytical method called fast infinitesimal time coalescent process (FitCoal). They reported as a result that early human ancestors experienced extreme loss of life and, therefore, loss of genetic diversity. The reasons suggested for this downturn in the size of the human ancestral population include glaciation events, leading to changes in temperature and severe droughts, and the loss of other species, potentially those that were food sources for ancestral humans. Humankind’s rebound is expected to have been due to the use of fire and the arrival of more favourable climates.

Source: The Hindu September 04, 2023 12:18 UTC