article_snippet.sent: A warming climate may have enabled the earliest humans to venture into Western Europe 1.4 million years ago, a new study suggests.
article_snippet.sent: Researchers believe that the spread of our distant human ancestors, the hominins, had been halted by colder and drier temperatures.
article_snippet.sent: But as conditions warmed, Researchers were able to branch out from Africa into Spain, and ultimately spread across Europe.
article_snippet.sent: But then the climate warmed to 13°C (55°F) and became more humid.
article_snippet.sent: Published in the Journal of Human Evolution, The research suggests climate change affected the amount of resources available.
article_snippet.sent: simple Oldowan tools said that the early Pleistocene era (the era lasted from 2.59 million to 11,700 years ago) was characterised by colder and drier weather.
article_snippet.sent: But shortly afterwards, ‘when the climatic conditions were again favourable, a hominin presence is suddenly evidenced.
article_snippet.sent: It should be noted that the warming climate referred to here is on a vastly longer time scale than modern climate change.
article_snippet.sent: At the time 1.4 million years ago, though, temperatures warmed above 13°C (55°F) and humidity increased, allowing hominins to inhabit the region - scavenging carcasses in this region with the help of tools.
article_snippet.sent: ‘The data reported here clearly support the idea that the early hominin occupation of Europe was strongly constrained by climatic and environmental conditions, rather than by physiography or cultural factors,’ the researchers wrote.
highlights_snippet.sent: But then the climate warmed to 13°C (55°F) and became more humid .
  