The day humans almost disappeared. Super eruption put us to the test!
The sky got darker, the weather cooled down, and life seemed to be hanging by a thread all over the planet. But guess what? Our species didn’t vanish into thin air. The real shocker is how, amidst all the chaos and ash falling from the sky, the Earth managed to survive.
The magnitude of the disaster
The massive eruption expelled around 2,800 cubic kilometers of ash, creating a crater 100 by 30 kilometers in size. Acid rain messed up rivers, plants got buried, and the Sun decided to take a break behind a thick gray curtain for up to six years. It was basically an apocalyptic movie playing out in real life for many, making them think it was game over.
The debate about survival
Some experts claim that the disaster brought humanity down to less than 10,000 individuals, creating a “genetic bottleneck” that left a mark on our DNA. But hold on a second! Recent research at sites in Africa and Asia is painting a different picture: we not only survived, but we also thrived and came up with new ways to adapt to the harsh environment.
Archaeology as a witness
Places like Pinnacle Point in South Africa and Shinfa-Metema in Ethiopia are like time capsules showing us how humans managed to innovate and change their ways of living to survive extreme conditions. It’s like our ancestors were saying, “Bring it on, Mother Nature, we’re not going down without a fight!”
