Ew research explores drive behind early humanity's travels across the world

A new research project led by Royal Holloway, University of London starts this July after receiving a grant of over £450,000 from the Leverhulme Trust to explore the migrations of humans out of Africa.

Over the next three years the team will examine important archaeological and environmental sites across the Levant and Arabian Peninsula to understand when and why early humans travelled from Africa, a movement that saw humans dominating the globe.  

Working in close collaboration with expert archaeologists and scientists from across the region and also from leading research centers in Europe, the research will seek to resolve uncertainties about the chronology of early human dispersals Out of Africa.

Searching for clues in ancient volcanic ash

New environmental and archaeological information coupled with genetic evidence will help uncover the drivers behind the global distribution and dominance of our species. The team will investigate the role of factors such as environmental changes and species interbreeding in spreading humanity across the world.

"Current thinking suggests that humans started moving out of Africa over 120,000 years ago," explained Professor Simon Blockley of Royal Holloway's Department of Geography who is leading the project.

"For the first time in this region we will be using a state-of-the-art method for dating events by finding microscopic traces of volcanic ash within archeological and environmental sites that can then be linked to known and dated eruptions. This ash will contain clues as to the timing of the dispersal of human groups and any climatic triggers behind them," he concluded.

Provided by Royal Holloway, University of London