Humanity at risk of extinction 70K BP?

[trehinp]

I was alerted to this research on nother list which talks about the theory of Memes, term coined by Richard Dawkins.
They gave the French article ref ("L'humanité aurait frôlé l'extinction il y a 70 000 ans", Randolph Schmid, Associated Press, Washington Click here for French paper

Here is one of the articles I have found in English:

Mankind's Close Call With Extinction, DNA Evidence Reveals How Humanity's Stone-Age Almost Went Way Of The Dodo
WASHINGTON, April 24, 2008 Click here for more

It seems to be an important news...

Any informed comments on this topic? Refutations, confirmations, etc...

Thanks

Paul

[E.P. Grondine]

I don't trust the genetic clocks that are used today, and  will feel on more solid ground when genetic claims are confirmed archaeologically.

I myself have little doubt that asteroid and comet impact events pushed mankind close to extinction several times over the last 6 or so million years, but  we don't have any impact craters with a dead on date of 70K BP, to my knowledge.

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas
 

[lagarvelho]

E.P. Grondine:

I'm curious as to why you say you don't trust the genetic clocks.  I'm sure you're right on the other stuff, but if an asteroid or metior or whatever, hit the earth, don't you think it might have destroyed a lot of the archaeological evidence you're looking for --- depending on where it landed?
Anne G

I don't trust the genetic clocks that are used today, and  will feel on more solid ground when genetic claims are confirmed archaeologically.

I myself have little doubt that asteroid and comet impact events pushed mankind close to extinction several times over the last 6 or so million years, but  we don't have any impact craters with a dead on date of 70K BP, to my knowledge.

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas
 

[E.P. Grondine]

That's asteroids and COMETS, Anne, and it's not a question of "if" they hit as man was evolving, as we have large isotopically well dated craters showing that they did, and multiple times. I gave a link to Peiser and Paine's paper on these earlier, in one of my first posts here. A search should find it for you.

(I extended Peiser and Paine's work for Chapter 2 of  "Man and Impact in the Americas". MIIA is $25 through Crow Clan Jewelry - $10 less than amazon, and T-bird was injured in an auto accident Jan 1 when someone pulled in to a car he was riding in. It is also available at Odessa Crater, Barringer Crater, and the Newark Earthworks museum.)

While large impacts are infrequent, 6 million years is a long time. As for destruction of archaeological evidence,  the answer  is no, as that evidence was usually long buried by the time one of these occurred.  In fact, it appears that the destruction can create a site, as I think that Mohenjo Daro in India may evidence a small airburst, as Key Marco does in North America. Note the word "may". Other similar destruction levels are likely to  be noted in the future, once excavators know how to identify them in the field.

Aside from the impacts, there were also supervolcanic eruptions, which appear to have  been less devastating.

These impacts should be showing up in any accurate analysis of genetic bottlenecks.

E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact  in the Americas

[E.P. Grondine]

Here you go, Anne:

http://users.tpg.com.au/users/tps-seti/bioastr2002.pdf

These impacts should be showing up in the genetic analysis. They"re not, which leads me to suspect that that analysis is defective.