21
Remains of Homo floresiensis were
found on the Indonesian island of Flores
in 2003. Some studies suggest that its
small size was due to disease rather
than indicating a new species.See also: Cave paintings at Altamira 22–27 ■ The Big Freeze 28–29 ■ The settlement at Çatalhöyük 30–31HUMAN ORIGINS
years ago, although the earliest
dates are controversial. Small
groups may have visited much
earlier, but the bulk of the evidence
suggests widespread colonization
of Australia only around 45,000
years ago, at much the same time
as Homo sapiens arrived in Europe.Other hominin species
Homo sapiens was the first hominin
to arrive in Australia. However, in
parts of Eurasia, humans did facecompetition. By the time humans
reached Europe, Neanderthals
had already been there for around
250,000 years, having evolved
from an ancestor they shared
with modern humans, Homo
heidelbergensis, and they were
well adapted to life in the region.
Further east, at Denisova Cave
in Russia’s Altai Mountains, there is
evidence of a mysterious species—
the Denisovans—known only from
their DNA. And on the island of
Flores in Southeast Asia, fossils of
another possible species—the short,
small-brained Homo floresiensis—
date from just 18,000 years ago,
although some researchers believe
these were simply modern humans
afflicted with some form of disease.
Of all these species, Homo
sapiens is the only one to have
survived and gone on to colonize
the New World. Beringia, a land-
bridge between Russia and Alaska,
exposed when sea levels dropped
as a result of the Ice Age, allowed
humans to reach the Americas
from northeast Asia. The exact date
remains controversial: stone toolsfrom the c.13,000-year-old “Clovis
culture” were once thought to have
belonged to the earliest humans
in the New World. Older sites are
now known, but many of the earlier
dates, particularly in South America,
remain highly contentious.The social network
Until more evidence is found, the
fates of the Denisovans and Homo
floresiensis remain unknown, while
the most recent research suggests
Neanderthals died out around 40,000
years ago. Many researchers believe
the resourcefulness of Homo sapiens
was crucial to its success in other
species’ home territories in the face
of climate change around the time of
the Last Glacial Maximum. In
particular, it is thought that they
could also rely on more extensive
social networks than those other
species—an asset that would have
proved crucial both to survival in
lean times and to helping them
colonize the unfamiliar environments
they encountered as they expanded
across the globe, perhaps following
animal herds. ■Homo sapiens: the only remaining hominin
There is no evidence of violence
between humans and other
species. Indeed, modern human
DNA shows small traces of
Neanderthal and Denisovan
genes, suggesting that a few
individuals from each species
interbred, albeit rarely.
Although Neanderthals were
skilled manufacturers of stone
tools and excellent hunters,
modern humans may have been
quicker to adapt, and therefore
better able to cope with the
rapid climatic changes occurringas the Ice Age progressed.
They developed new stone
tools, as well as techniques
that made use of resources such
as bone and antler. They also
established extensive networks
of support, enabling various
groups to pool resources across
large distances, enhancing
their chances of survival. This
cultural adaptability may have
been what allowed humans
to outcompete their cousins
for access to increasingly
unpredictable resources.The human blitzkrieg across
America testifies to the
incomparable ingenuity and
the unsurpassed adaptability
of Homo sapiens.
Yuval Noah Harari
Sapiens (2011)US_020-021_Migration.indd 21 04/03/2016 16:06