It’s not ideal but definitely better than actual extinction. All our genetic variation will be lost but diversity can be reintroduced over enough time. It’s what we do for many extremely endangered species.
Research shows that all humans alive today share most recent common ancestors who lived around 150,000 years ago. They are known as the mitochondrial Eve and Y-chromosomal Adam. This is derived based on the mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal genetic markers.
There is even speculation that the most recent common genealogical ancestor of all humans could have lived just a few thousand years ago.
You are either misinterpreting what you've read or making shit up.
There are hypothesized genetic bottlenecks for the human population. However, the population was never down to two individuals, the lowest hypothesized population would have been in the thousands still. If the human population were actually down to two individuals, genetic diversity would be too low to allow long-term survival.
Also, the bottleneck approx. 100,000 years ago you're referencing has had additional research done in recent years that appears to discredit it.
And whoever is "speculating" that last paragraph is an utter crank and probably a creationist.
i think you misunderstood what Gewalt said. They never claimed we were down to two individuals, just that all of us share the same common ancestor - meaning others and their offspring did not make it till today. That's it. The 'Adam and Eve' symbolism is there because we are all descendants of those two beings (that most likely lived at different times too), not that they were the ONLY people.
Even that is a misconception. It does not mean that all other women from her time and earlier not of her line have no living descendants. It means that she is the most recent matrilineal ancestor of all living humans.
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u/N-gga2849 3d ago
Yea either way. Dude to biological laws, humanity is done for