An important new paper - actually a two-parter about the almost-demise of humans, caused by the Younger Dryas comet impact. This fits really, really well with the super-extreme bottle-neck exhibited in mtDNA variation - and no doubt the gene pool in general. Look at this chart before you read the paper. (I've lost my attribution information. Can anyone supply?)
KU's promo piece
Paper part 1
Paper part 2
"The Younger Dryas boundary (YDB) cosmic-impact hypothesis is based on considerable evidence that Earth collided with fragments of a disintegrating ≥100-km-diameter comet, the remnants of which persist within the inner solar system ∼12,800 y later. Evidence suggests that the YDB cosmic impact triggered an “impact winter” and the subsequent Younger Dryas (YD) climate episode, biomass burning, late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions, and human cultural shifts and population declines. "
KU's promo piece
Paper part 1
Paper part 2
"The Younger Dryas boundary (YDB) cosmic-impact hypothesis is based on considerable evidence that Earth collided with fragments of a disintegrating ≥100-km-diameter comet, the remnants of which persist within the inner solar system ∼12,800 y later. Evidence suggests that the YDB cosmic impact triggered an “impact winter” and the subsequent Younger Dryas (YD) climate episode, biomass burning, late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions, and human cultural shifts and population declines. "
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