Question

Choose an event or phenomenon described in the text. Explain the causes and effects of your chosen topic, using details from the text.


text
On the Arabian Peninsula, dry sand dunes stretch far into the distance. However, a new study suggests that these desert regions were once very different. It's likely they were green with plants. Scientists believe they attracted early humans and large animals such as hippopotamuses moving out of the African continent to stay at ancient lakes.

The Arabian Peninsula is on the edge of the Asian continent. Some of the countries there are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.

Until a decade ago, the Arabian Peninsula was a challenge. It was a blank spot on the map for scientists trying to learn the story of early human evolution and movements out of Africa. Evolution involves the changes that happen in living things over time.

Much more is known about early human settlements in the Levant region. The Levant is a historical term that refers to the area east of the Mediterranean. It has been studied more. Today, that region includes the countries of Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and parts of Syria. They are in the Middle East, which includes some countries in Africa and Asia. Archaeological research has been done there for more than 100 years. Through archaeology, scientists learn about human history by digging and studying what is found.

The Arabian Peninsula might have also had an important use as a connection. People and animals could have used it to move between Africa and Eurasia. This finding is suggested by a study published September 1 in the journal Nature.

Satellite Pictures, Excavations Tell The Story
The Arabian Peninsula has not been a big part of the story of early human movement. That's because so little work was done there before, said Michael Petraglia. He is a co-author of the study. Petraglia is a paleolithic archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany. Paleolithic archaeology is the study of very early human culture. The study team included scientists from Germany, Saudi Arabia, Australia and elsewhere.

A storm brews in the sky over a desert.
Image 1. A storm arrives during an archaeological excavation of the remains of an ancient lake in northern Saudi Arabia. Photo: Klint Janulis/Palaeodeserts Project via AP

Scientists started to look for remains in the region after seeing satellite images. These pictures from spacecrafts showed signs of prehistoric lakes. Those places are dry now. "Prehistoric" refers to an ancient period before written records were kept.

"We noticed color patterns made by ancient lakes," said Huw Groucutt. He is also based at the Max Planck Institute. Sand dunes are kind of orange, he said, and ancient lakes look white or gray.

Digging over 10 years turned up stone tools from different prehistoric periods of early humans. The oldest was 400,000 years ago. Samples of sediment from the ancient lakes and remains from hippos and other animals were studied. Sediment can include particles carried by water and wind and then left behind. The particles can become part of rocks over time. The studies showed that in the distant past, the peninsula had lakes and grasslands.

During these times with a favorable climate, early humans and animals were on the move. They went from Africa into the Arabian Peninsula, the scientists said.

Climate Changes Caused Human Migration
Rivers and lakes, surrounded by grasslands, would have attracted animals, said Petraglia. Then the early humans who hunted animals also would have come, he said. Hippos require year-round water bodies several yards (meters) deep to live. Remains of other animals, including ostriches and antelopes, were found. They show a connection to Africa, he said.

The research group has combined archaeology and climate records going back 400,000 years, said paleoanthropologist Rick Potts. Paleoanthropology is the study of the origins of humans. It looks at fossils and other remains preserved from earlier times. Potts directs the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. It is in Washington, D.C. He said the combined records show that early humans moved across the landscape when the climate changed.

The presence and absence of people in the Arabian Peninsula "was in tune with climate oscillations," said Potts. He was not involved in the new study. Climate oscillations are changes in Earth's climate. The changes naturally repeat over time in cycles or patterns.

Answer 1

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