Study raises questions about human extinction risk 900,000 years ago

A recent study suggested that humans nearly went extinct 900,000 years ago, with 98.7% of the population dying out. This claim was based on genetic analysis using a model called FitCoal, which identified a significant population bottleneck. However, further research has raised doubts about these findings. Other models did not replicate the bottleneck signal, and experts argue that FitCoal may have oversimplified ancient population dynamics, leading to potentially erroneous conclusions. Critics emphasize that if such a bottleneck occurred, it should be evident in non-African genomes as well. The lack of consistent evidence across different models has led many researchers to view the original findings as likely a statistical artifact.