Toba catastrophe theory

The Toba catastrophe theory suggests that a supervolcanic eruption at Lake Toba in Indonesia around 74,000 years ago drastically affected the Earth's climate and human populations. This eruption is believed to have released enormous amounts of ash and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, leading to a volcanic winter that could have caused global temperatures to plummet. This dramatic climate change is thought to have significantly reduced the human population, creating a bottleneck effect. Some researchers argue that this event shaped human evolution and migration patterns, as only a small number of individuals survived through the harsh conditions.