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  • Review Article
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Past climate change effects on human evolution

Nature Reviews Earth & Environment volume 5, pages 701–716 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

The genus Homo evolved during the Pleistocene — an epoch of gradual cooling and amplification of glacial cycles. The changing climates influenced early human survival, adaptation and evolution in complex ways. In this Review, we present current knowledge about the effects of past climate changes on the evolutionary trajectory of human species. Humans emerged in dry grassland and shrubland when average climate conditions were warm. As global climate started cooling down, human species needed either to track their preferred habitats or to adapt to new local conditions, each of which is indicated in the archaeological record. Limited dispersal ability and narrow ecological preferences were predominant in early species, whereas cultural innovations and consequently wider ecological niches became commonplace in later species, allowing them to live in colder extratropical climates. Yet, despite their growing ecological versatility, all species but one eventually went extinct. Future research should explore cultural transmission between and within species, and the influence of climate change on human genetic diversification.

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Fig. 1: Palaeoclimate and human evolution timeline.
Fig. 2: Climate response to astronomical forcings.
Fig. 3: Past shifts in vegetation.
Fig. 4: Climate impacts on human evolution.
Fig. 5: Human preferences for biomes.
Fig. 6: Dispersal of anatomically modern humans.
Fig. 7: Habitat preferences.

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Acknowledgements

A.T., K.-S.Y. and E.Z. received funding from the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) under IBS-R028-D1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IBS Center for Climate Physics, Busan, South Korea

    Axel Timmermann, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Marcia Ponce de León, Elke Zeller & Kyung-Sook Yun

  2. Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea

    Axel Timmermann, Elke Zeller & Kyung-Sook Yun

  3. DiSTAR, Università di Napoli Federico II Monte Sant’Angelo, Naples, Italy

    Pasquale Raia

  4. DST, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy

    Alessandro Mondanaro

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  1. Axel Timmermann
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Contributions

A.T. and P.R. conceived and organized the text and led the writing. M.P.deL. and C.Z. provided key contributions to the ABM and cultural evolution sections. A.M. provided key contribution to the SDM section. K.-S.Y. and E.Z. provided key contributions to the description of palaeoclimate and vegetation modelling. All authors critically reviewed the text and participated in writing.

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Correspondence to Axel Timmermann or Pasquale Raia.

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Timmermann, A., Raia, P., Mondanaro, A. et al. Past climate change effects on human evolution. Nat Rev Earth Environ 5, 701–716 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00584-4

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