Such data for non-European societies and for earlier human populations are much more fragmentary.
"The results should also rekindle debate about the effects of the climate on the movements of early human populations," Dr. Gowlett wrote.
The research team suggested that the rapid migration possibly began during a phase of warm climate, which "enabled early human populations to inhabit northern latitudes of east Asia over a prolonged period".
Others, questioning the notion that all species of Homo proceed along a simple linear progression, believe that early human populations were more diverse than has been recognized; although these researchers recognize two separate species, they prefer to lump both in the genus Homo.
This, the researchers say, may hold clues to behavioural differences distinguishing us from early human populations that died out.
This included the growth and dispersal of early human populations, as well as the dramatic influences on social organization that accompanied the introduction, development, and increased reliance on rice farming.
Almost without exception, CNPs were not confined to a single population, suggesting that these either are recurrent events, having occurred independently in multiple founders, or were present in early human populations.
The complexities of Later Stone Age environmental and behavioral variability in East Africa remain poorly defined, and toolstone sourcing is essential to understand the scale of the social and natural landscapes encountered by earlier human populations.
Palaeoclimate data suggests the corresponding period was characterised by considerable climatic variability yet, to date, few studies have attempted to investigate the relationship between climate, the environment and early human populations in the region.
