You have probably heard the phrase “out of Africa” before, referring to humanity’s predecessors leaving the continent and spreading across the globe.While this is the de facto theory about our species’ origins, there’s still a question about why they left and experts have a new theory.
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00:00you have probably heard the phrase out of Africa before referring of course to humanity's
00:07predecessors leaving the continent and spreading across the globe while this is the de facto
00:12theory about our species diaspora there's still a question about why they left and experts have
00:17a new theory researchers have now identified volcanic glass from a super volcano that erupted
00:22around 74 000 years ago in the horn of africa an area of modern-day ethiopia they say this eruption
00:28could have led to drought conditions meaning the nomadic people that would have likely been
00:32following seasonal rivers may have created what they call a blue highway or what is essentially
00:37a path out of africa following these well-known water sources with the researchers writing quote
00:42seasonal rivers thus functioned as pumps that siphon populations out along the channels from one water
00:47hole to another potentially driving the most recent out of africa dispersal other recent studies have
00:53suggested that dry arid conditions were likely the reason for mankind's diaspora as well
00:5874 000 years ago earth was still very much in its last ice age meaning much of the planet's
01:03fresh water was frozen in glaciers and other massive collections of ice