Homo erectus, one of our early ancestors, is believed to have been the first hominin species to migrate out of Africa around 1.8 million years ago. They likely used land bridges to venture into Eurasia.
Climate fluctuations, including ice ages, led to changes in sea levels and the availability of land bridges. During glacial periods, lower sea levels exposed land connections between continents, facilitating migrations.
The earliest migrations out of Africa may have followed a southern coastal route, hugging the coast of the Indian Ocean. This allowed early humans to move into South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Later migrations involved crossing the Sinai Peninsula into the Levant region (modern-day Israel, Jordan, and Syria) and then spreading into Europe and Asia. This northern route is thought to have been used by anatomically modern humans.
Genetic studies, especially analysis of mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosomes, provide strong evidence for an African origin of modern humans and trace their migratory paths.
Human populations adapted to the environments they encountered during migration, developing new technologies and subsistence strategies to survive in diverse ecosystems.
During the last ice age, a land bridge known as Beringia connected Siberia and Alaska, enabling humans to migrate into the Americas. These early Americans eventually spread southward into North and South America.
In the Pacific, humans practiced "island hopping," using boats to settle remote Pacific islands. This resulted in the colonization of places like Polynesia.
In the Pacific, humans practiced "island hopping," using boats to settle remote Pacific islands. This resulted in the colonization of places like Polynesia.
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