8 Mind Blowing Facts About The Human Race

7. We Were Once Considered An Endangered Species

It is thanks to the early human explorers that we ever made it out of Africa at all but, once we made the crossing, the worst was yet to come.

Researchers have found that, around the time our ancestors were spreading through Africa, Europe and Asia, there were probably only around 18,500 individuals capable of breeding (and no more than 26,000). These numbers are low enough to land you on the endangered species list these days, complete with your own TV appeal and wildlife sanctuaries. Humanity was on a knife edge.

Humans have a lower genetic diversity than a lot of our primate cousins, and this is due to this inexplicable near-extinction around that time. Some think that this could have been due to climate change, or even a catastrophic volcanic eruption, triggering a global nuclear winter.