An extensive genetic study suggests human beings were close to extinction 150,000 years ago.
Perhaps as few as 2,000 individuals split into small groups living in isolation for nearly a hundred thousand years before regrouping and migrating out of Africa.
Studies using mitochondrial DNA which is passed down through mothers, have traced modern humans to a single mitochondrial female, living in Africa about 200,000 years ago.
Separate Ways
Around 200,000 years ago, modern humans emerged as a distinct species. All people alive today can trace their ancestry back to these humans, according to previous studies.
By the time the first great migrations out of Africa began, around 60,000 years ago, humanity had split into distinct populations with unique genetic lineages.
So what happened between 200,000 years ago and 60,000 years ago?
