Around 800-900k years ago, early humans faced a severe population bottleneck, dropping to ~1,280 breeding individuals. Genetic studies suggest it was caused by extreme climate shifts during a glacial period, nearly leading to extinction.

Around 800,000-900,000 years ago, early human ancestors faced a severe population bottleneck, dropping to ~1,300 breeding individuals. Likely caused by climate shifts, like a prolonged ice age, leading to habitat loss and resource scarcity. This is based on genomic studies from 2023.