Yes, ancestors of modern humans existed 900,000 years ago, although they were facing a severe population bottleneck.
Evidence and Explanation
Around 900,000 years ago, the ancestors of modern humans (likely Homo antecessor) experienced a drastic population decline. Recent genetic studies suggest that the breeding population in Africa was reduced to approximately 1,280 individuals. This near-extinction event lasted for about 117,000 years before the population began to recover. The existence of these early hominins at this time is well-established through fossil and genetic evidence, despite the precariousness of their survival.
Implications of the Population Bottleneck
This population bottleneck has significant implications for understanding human evolution:
- Genetic Diversity: Such a severe reduction in population size would have drastically reduced the genetic diversity of the surviving population.
- Evolutionary Direction: The traits possessed by the surviving individuals would have disproportionately influenced the future evolutionary trajectory of the human lineage.
- Speciation: The isolation imposed by the bottleneck could have potentially contributed to the emergence of new species.
Conclusion
Therefore, while the Homo sapiens species as we know it today did not exist 900,000 years ago, their ancestors certainly did. These ancestors faced a challenging period of near extinction, shaping the genetic makeup of future human populations.
