There is a 130,000 year gap in human evolutionary history, so what happened during this period?

This 130,000 year period in human evolutionary history is considered a fossil error and no one can explain exactly what happened to humans during this time.

What is a fossil error?

First we need to know what fossils are . Fossils are the remains of living organisms or their activities preserved in geological time, which are important evidence for our understanding of the past.

Through the study of fossils, we can infer information about the shape, structure, function, habits, distribution, evolution and extinction of organisms, thereby reconstructing the history of life on Earth.

A fossil gap means no fossils have been found for a certain period of time , like a gap in history.

This situation may be due to the fact that the environment at that time was not favorable for biological preservation, or that later geological processes destroyed the original fossil layers, or that we have not yet found suitable locations and methods to excavate and identify fossils.

Fossils are the remains of living organisms preserved over geological time. (Illustration: CNN)

Why is there a 130,000 year fossil error?

So why is there a 130,000-year gap in human evolutionary history? What exactly happened during this time period?

According to scientists' estimates, humans were first born 5 million years ago , while modern humans originated 300,000 years ago . During this long process, humans have branched out and evolved many times, forming different species and groups.

However, from 200,000 years ago to 70,000 years ago, a strange phenomenon occurred in the evolutionary history of mankind, during this period almost no fossil records related to humans were found.

It seems that humans disappeared during this time without leaving any trace, and it has left scientists very confused. Accordingly, scientists have proposed a number of possible explanations and hypotheses, but none of them have been convincingly confirmed.

Humans were first born 5 million years ago. (Illustration: CNN)

Hypothesis 1: Global mass extinction

Some scientists believe that a catastrophic mass extinction event occurred on Earth around 200,000 to 70,000 years ago, resulting in the death and extinction of a large number of organisms, including humans at the time.

This extinction event can be caused by climate change, volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts, etc. It causes major changes in the environment on Earth, many organisms cannot adapt and die or migrate.

At that time, the number of people was very small, their distribution was very limited, so it was difficult to resist such a disaster. Their living space was greatly reduced, their culture and technology were also seriously affected.

As a result, they hardly left any fossil remains and were not discovered by later humans. Only a few survivors were able to continue reproducing and open a new chapter in human evolution.

There was a mass extinction event that caused humans to gradually disappear. (Illustration: ZME).

Hypothesis 2: Alien intervention

Some scientists believe that between 200,000 and 70,000 years ago, an advanced extraterrestrial civilization appeared on Earth and they conducted some form of intervention and experimentation on humans.

This type of advanced civilization may want to observe and study life on Earth, transform and utilize Earth's resources, or for other purposes.

They may have used their advanced technology to exert some form of control, isolation, transfer, transformation, etc. on humans, causing humans to lose their freedom and independence during this period.

As a result, humans could not live and develop normally, nor could they leave any fossil traces, nor could they be discovered by later humans. Only after they left or gave up could humans return to their original state and continue to evolve.

There is an alien civilization that has conducted some form of intervention and experimentation on humans. (Illustration: Zhihu).

Hypothesis 3: The Great Flood

Some scientists believe that a global flood occurred on Earth between 200,000 and 70,000 years ago , leaving much of the land submerged and only a few high-altitude areas with humans surviving.

This flooding event could have been caused by melting glaciers, rising sea levels, plate tectonics, the gravitational pull of the Moon, and other factors. It greatly increased the amount of water on Earth, and many terrestrial organisms could not adapt and died or migrated.

At that time, humans had no way to survive on land and had no choice but to live with the flood. They may have used some simple tools and technology to build some shelters and facilities under water, finding some food and resources in the water.

As a result, it would be difficult for them to leave any fossil remains and be discovered by later humans. Moreover, living underwater also accelerated the evolutionary process, causing our ancestors to gradually adapt to the aquatic environment and undergo some changes.

For example, they may have lost body hair, increased fat on their skin, improved respiratory and circulatory systems, etc. These changes may have laid the foundation for the further evolution of Homo sapiens.

A flooded cave. (Illustration: ZME).

Where do humans come from?

From 200,000 years ago to 70,000 years ago, there was a gap of 130,000 years in human evolutionary history - their fossil records are lost or difficult to find, which does not mean that humans disappeared during this period but that humans underwent many changes during this period.

So how did humans recover and develop after this period? How did they evolve into modern humans?

According to scientists' research, an important event happened on Earth about 70,000 years ago, which was the eruption of Mount Tobo . This was a large volcanic eruption that released a large amount of ash and gas into the atmosphere, causing global climate to cool and drought.

This volcanic eruption had a huge impact on life on Earth, many creatures died or became extinct, only a few creatures with strong adaptability survived. At that time, humans were also heavily affected, their numbers greatly reduced, maybe even only a few thousand, or even hundreds of individuals left.

This is a famous 'bottleneck event' in human evolutionary history, which significantly reduced human genetic diversity and laid the genetic foundation for later human evolution.

The Tobo volcano eruption caused global climate cooling and drought. (Illustration: CNN).

After this disaster, the survivors began a new life and migration. They gradually dispersed into different regions and environments, communicating and interacting with other species and cultures, and forming different ethnic and racial groups.

Some of these people migrated to Europe and western Asia, where they mixed and interbred with the Neanderthals and Denisovans that already existed there. Another group migrated to East Asia and Australia, where they mixed and interbred with the Australian Aborigines and local Melanesians. Some also migrated to southern and eastern Africa, where they mixed and interbred with the indigenous African peoples that already existed there, thereby acquiring some new genes and traits.

People in these different regions and environments gradually formed the ancestors of modern humans over a long evolutionary process that we call Homo sapiens.

Homo sapiens had higher intelligence, more complex language, more flexible behavior, richer culture and other characteristics, they continued to multiply and develop in their respective regions and gradually replaced other primitive human species.

Finally, about 12,000 years ago, Homo sapiens became the only surviving human species on Earth and began to build a glorious civilization that continues to this day.