A recent study suggests that modern man, or Homo Sapiens, took a 30,000-year break from Africa in the Arabian Peninsula to adapt to the cold climate of higher latitudes. While there is no longer any doubt that Homo Sapiens originated in Africa around 200,000 years ago, there are still many unknowns as to how it spread across the planet.
The most widespread hypothesis puts the colonization of the Eurasian continent between 60,000 and 50,000 years ago, punctuated by numerous stopovers. An Australian study published in May 2023 in PNAS, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that the migration of Homo Sapiens towards Europe and Asia initially took place in the Arabian Peninsula, a pause that lasted around 30,000 years.
This pause would have enabled the Homo Sapiens population to gradually adapt to colder climatic conditions and thus survive in more northerly areas. Researchers at the Australian Center for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide have discovered that these physical adaptations are still visible in our genetic heritage today, and are thought to be associated with diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These discoveries were made possible by the complete sequencing of the human genome, which was carried out for the first time in the year 2000 so that the major milestones in our history can be read in our genes.
Throughout their existence, the human being has undergone numerous evolutions to enable it to adapt to the constraints of their environment. This ability to adapt, which is found in most organisms living on Earth, enabled Homo Sapiens to spread across the planet and supplant other hominid species in the colonization process.
The evolution of the human genome seems to have been based on a very harsh natural selection process, even if traces of these changes are hard to find today, mainly due to the mixing of populations, which tends to make these genetic markers disappear. The scientists were able to identify fifty-seven regions of the genome corresponding to a genetic evolution that had a definite influence on our ancestors. The study shows, for example, that a major adaptation took place before the period of great dispersal in Eurasia 60,000 to 50,000 years ago.
This phase nicknamed the Arabian Pause, is thought to have lasted around 30,000 years, and has been highlighted on the basis of genetic, archaeological and climatic criteria. The various elements observed suggest that the Homo Sapiens population took a break in the Arabian Peninsula, moving northwards to adapt to the different climates. The genetic adaptations corresponding to this period would be linked in particular to our ability to store fat, nerve development, skin physiology or the development of tiny cilia in our airways.
These changes would have occurred to adapt to the cold climate that prevailed on the Arabian Peninsula between 80,000 and 50,000 years ago. Over time, these genetic adaptations, which enabled our ancestors to survive 50,000 years ago, became the cause of many diseases characteristic of the modern world. Identifying these genetic evolutions could also enable the development of new therapeutic and preventive approaches applicable to today’s population.
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