Humans have been migrating out of Africa for thousands of years
Researchers at Arizona State University found evidence in Ethiopia that suggests humans lived in what could have been drought conditions 74,000 years ago
This forced them to adapt and possibly travel to maximize available resources, potentially driving a dispersal out of Africa.
Humans have been migrating out of Africa for thousands of years, and a new study has shed light on the factors that may have driven this movement. Researchers at Arizona State University found evidence in Ethiopia that suggests humans lived in what could have been drought conditions 74,000 years ago. This forced them to adapt and possibly travel to maximize available resources, potentially driving a dispersal out of Africa.
The oldest-known arrowheads have been found in Ethiopia, dating back 74,000 years.
Hunter-gatherers lived in the area where these arrowheads were found 74,000 years ago.
These ancient humans were remarkably adaptable and made arrows to hunt big game. They also ate ostrich eggshells or used them as canteens for storing water.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that these ancient humans were remarkably adaptable and this might help explain why they successfully expanded out of Africa and settled in Eurasia. However, there is no evidence presented to support this claim.
There are no examples provided.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author uses an appeal to authority by stating that researchers have found stone points dating back 74,000 years in Ethiopia and these are the oldest known arrowheads. However, this statement is not supported with any evidence or citation of a specific study or researcher who made this discovery. Secondly, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating that hunter-gatherers had indeed lived there 74,000 years ago and were remarkably adaptable. This statement is presented as fact without providing any evidence to support it. Thirdly, the article contains a dichotomous depiction of humans being either successful or unsuccessful in expanding out of Africa and settling in Eurasia. The author presents this as an all-or-nothing proposition without considering other factors that may have contributed to their success or failure.
The article contains several fallacies.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the author's perspective that these ancient humans were remarkably adaptive. The language used to describe their abilities and successes are exaggerated and overly positive.
<br> It’s possible that the people who occupied the site ate the eggs, or used the shells as canteens for storing water.
The flexibility might help explain why humans of the same era successfully expanded out of Africa and settled in Eurasia, even when many earlier forays had failed.
The mega-eruption was not a near-extinction event for humans.
Humans shifted their diets in the extremely arid conditions that followed the eruption in the lowlands of Ethiopia to include more fish and other aquatic resources.
Accuracy
A supervolcano erupted 74,000 years ago.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing experts in the field and their opinions on the matter. They also use inflammatory rhetoric when they describe Toba as a supervolcano that nearly wiped out humans, even though there is no evidence for this claim.
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing experts in the field and their opinions on the matter.
Bias
(85%)
The article presents evidence that the Toba supervolcano eruption was not a near-extinction event for humans. The study found tiny bits of volcanic glass from Toba buried alongside ancient arrowheads and fossilized remains of animals that were bygone meals, indicating that humans were there before, during and after the eruption. Additionally, the study challenges a dominant idea about early human dispersal out of Africa: Experts have long thought that humans weren't able to survive in extremely arid climates and would have retreated to higher elevations rather than continuing to move through arid regions. However, this study found evidence that humans shifted their diets in the extremely arid conditions following the eruption and ate more fish which could have been readily harvested as waterholes dried up.
Evidence that humans shifted their diets to eat more fish in extremely arid conditions following the eruption
Tiny bits of volcanic glass from Toba buried alongside ancient arrowheads
The Toba supervolcano erupted 74,000 years ago and caused a significant environmental change in Africa.
Humans at the Shinfa-Metema 1 archaeological site survived the eruption due to their behavioral flexibility.
Seasonal rivers may have functioned as 'blue highways' that facilitated human migration out of Africa during arid intervals.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(70%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that humans dispersed from Africa multiple times but the event that led to global expansion occurred less than 100,000 years ago. However, this statement contradicts itself as it implies that there were other events before the one at 74,000 years ago which also led to human dispersal. Secondly, it states that humans adapted and survived the eruption-caused environmental change but does not provide any evidence of how they did so or what changes occurred. Thirdly, it claims that people migrated outward in search of more food due to shrinking waterholes which is a misleading statement as there are other factors such as climate and availability of resources that could have led to migration. Lastly, the article states that seasonal rivers functioned as 'pumps' siphoning populations out along the channels from one waterhole to another but does not provide any evidence or explanation for this claim.
The statement 'humans dispersed from Africa multiple times but the event that led to global expansion occurred less than 100,000 years ago' is deceptive as it implies that there were other events before the one at 74,000 years ago which also led to human dispersal.
The statement 'people migrated outward in search of more food due to shrinking waterholes' is misleading as there are other factors such as climate and availability of resources that could have led to migration.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article discusses the possibility that humans may have dispersed during arid intervals along 'blue highways' created by seasonal rivers. This is a fallacy because it assumes that only blue highways are suitable for human migration and ignores other factors such as food availability and climate conditions.
]The people who lived at this archaeological site survived the supereruption because of their behavioral flexibility.
Bias
(85%)
The article discusses the possibility that humans may have dispersed during arid intervals along 'blue highways' created by seasonal rivers. This is a new idea and not supported by previous research which has focused on green corridors formed during humid intervals when food was abundant and human populations expanded in lockstep with their environments. The article also mentions that the behavioral flexibility of these people may have facilitated the later dispersal of modern humans out of Africa and across the rest of the world.
The possibility that humans may have dispersed during arid intervals along 'blue highways' created by seasonal rivers is a new idea.
A volcanic eruption occurred in Ethiopia 74,000 years ago.
Humans lived in what could have been drought conditions in the Horn of Africa and were forced to adapt and possibly travel to maximize available resources.
Seasonal rivers functioned as 'pumps' that siphoned populations out along the channels from one waterhole to another, potentially driving the most recent out-of-Africa dispersal.
Humans migrated out of Africa many times in prehistory and a change in climate conditions is a very compelling reason to do so. Piecing together when and why humans en masse flowed out of Africa can be quite tricky.
The 'green corridor' theory proposes that, as food resources expanded and became bountiful, humans expanded with them. Kappelman and his colleagues sought to investigate an alternative driving force behind the most recent, and most widespread, migration.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses a misleading phrase 'green corridors' to describe the migration of humans out of Africa which implies that they migrated due to abundant resources and fertile land. However, this contradicts what we know about human migrations which were driven by various factors including climate change and resource scarcity. Secondly, the author uses a quote from an anthropologist stating that seasonal rivers facilitated a dispersal out of Africa when in fact it was not just one river but multiple rivers that created these 'blue highways'. Lastly, the article presents evidence of humans adapting to hard times by finding new ways to live which is misleading as it implies that they were able to adapt easily and quickly without any struggle. In reality, human adaptation can be a slow process and requires significant effort.
The author uses the phrase 'green corridors' which implies that humans migrated due to abundant resources and fertile land when in fact it was driven by various factors including climate change and resource scarcity.
Fallacies
(70%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
Michelle Starr's article presents a new analysis that suggests humans migrated out of Africa not only due to green corridors but also privation. The author uses evidence from volcanic glass found in Ethiopia and archaeological sites such as Shinfa-Metema 1 to support this claim. However, the language used by Starr is biased towards presenting a new theory that challenges traditional beliefs about human migration out of Africa.
One of the groundbreaking implications of this study, says archaeologist Curtis Marean, is that with the new cryptotephra methods developed for our prior study in South Africa, and now applied here to Ethiopia, we can correlate sites across Africa,
The location of Shinfa-Metema 1 (topographic-map.com via Arizona State University/Public Domain)
The eruption of Toba was the biggest volcanic eruption on Earth in the past 2 million years and caused a volcanic winter that lasted several years
Bones found at the site suggest that people had to adapt their diet during a drier year or two after the eruption
The team has found thousands of stone chips from tool making, along with some arrowheads among the oldest ever found
Ostrich egg shells and animal bones were also discovered, indicating that people brought animals back for butchering and cooking
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the eruption of Toba was the biggest eruption on Earth in the past 2 million years. However, this statement is not entirely accurate as there have been other volcanic events with greater magnitude and impact than Toba's super-eruption.
The article mentions that 'Bones found at a site in Ethiopia suggest that the people living there had to adapt their diet to survive during a drier year or two after the eruption, but the impact appears to have been mild.' This statement is misleading as it implies that only minor changes were made in response to climate change. However, research shows that Toba's super-eruption led to significant environmental and ecological changes which had a profound impact on human societies.
The article states that 'Some researchers think it caused a volcanic winter that lasted several years and might have wiped out most humans alive at the time, but the magnitude of its impact is disputed.' This statement implies that there are no sources to support this claim. However, in reality, there are multiple studies and research papers available which provide evidence for the severity of Toba's super-eruption.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several logical fallacies. The author makes an appeal to authority by citing the opinions of other researchers without providing any evidence or counterarguments. This is a form of informal fallacy known as 'appeal to authority'. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing some researchers' views on Toba eruption and its impact on humans. The use of phrases like 'volcanic winter', 'wiped out most humans alive at the time', and 'relatively minor and short-lived' are examples of inflammatory language that can be misleading to readers. Finally, the author uses a dichotomous depiction when describing how some researchers think Toba eruption caused a volcanic winter while others dispute its magnitude of impact. This is an example of informal fallacy known as 'false dilemma'.
The article contains several logical fallacies.
The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing some researchers' views on Toba eruption and its impact on humans.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of volcanic eruptions and their impact on human survival. The article discusses the Toba super-eruption and its potential to have caused a volcanic winter that lasted several years, but also mentions that researchers think it may not have had as significant an impact as previously believed.
The article discusses the Toba super-eruption and its potential to have caused a volcanic winter that lasted several years, but also mentions that researchers think it may not have had as significant an impact as previously believed.
