OREANDA-NEWS   Researchers from Great Britain have shown that the climate that existed at that time had a significant impact on the time and route of migrations of ancient people from Africa. The harsh conditions of the Middle East and the competition from the Neanderthal are called the reason that man did not settle in the world right away. 

Scientists from the University of Cambridge have carried out paleoclimatic reconstruction of the last 300 thousand years. Taking into account the minimum amount of precipitation necessary for the survival of hunter-gatherers, experts named the most convenient periods for ancient Homo sapiens to settle out of Africa.

A human could penetrate Asia in two ways - through the Isthmus of Sinai and along the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, when it was narrow enough due to a decrease in sea level. In the first case, periodic opportunities were provided in the intervals between 246 and 200 thousand years ago, 130-96 thousand years ago and about 78 thousand years ago. People - probably not even possessing the skills of seafarers - could cross the strait in the intervals from 242 to 275 thousand years ago, and from 182 to 145 thousand years ago. Moreover, about 65 thousand years ago, both paths were "open" at the same time.

Scientists attribute the failure of early migrations to the harsh environmental conditions of the Middle East - in particular, the Arabian Peninsula - as well as competition with Neanderthals and possibly Denisovans.