The Ice Age, which brought about a sudden change of temperature around 195,000 years ago, is believed to have wiped out a wide range of species who could not adapt to the freezing temperatures. Mankind was among the survivors, although some scientists believe that the population of the human race might have been brought down to just a few hundred surviving individuals who managed to survive in one location.
This small patch of land, nicknamed “the Garden of Eden” is how mankind could have survived the brutal conditions of the Ice Age. The strip of land lies on Africa’s southern coast, roughly 240 miles east of Cape Town. Some scientists believe that this is the only place that remained habitable, and could account for the lack of genetic diversity in humans compared to other species.
Professor Curtis Marean at Arizona State University believes that this small population that gave rise to the humans today was able to survive by utilizing the unique combination of resources available to it along the southern coast of Africa.
Professor Marean’s research found that the isolated caves found around this area, known as Pinnacle Point, were rich in human artifacts, and the study claims that the archaeological remains contained within these caves date back to at least 164,000 years.
These remains show that while the early humans elsewhere suffered hardships during this period, the inhabitants of this area were living in a land of plenty. There was rich vegetation available in the area, and the sea provided a good source of food in the form of fish and nutrients.
Evolution is also believed to have played a role in allowing mankind to survive the Ice Age. The plummeting temperatures and change in landscape led to heidelbergensis evolving in order to physically adapt to the cold, resulting in the Neanderthal man.
The Neanderthals that evolved no longer had the tall physique of heidelbergensis, but instead developed a short, stock body that proved to be the ideal shape for conserving heat in the cold environment. They were also extremely muscular, which allowed them to survive the hard lifestyle brought upon by the Ice Age.
Not only that, the Neanderthals also developed these physical characteristics at an earlier age. According to Christoph Zollikofer, an anthropologist at the University of Zurich, an eight year old Neanderthal would be at the same developmental stage as a twelve year old modern human.
