A timeline of human dispersal from 70,000 to 10,000 BCE — how Homo sapiens spread across Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas.
Small groups of Homo sapiens cross from northeast Africa into the Arabian Peninsula, beginning the colonization of the wider world.
Humans reach Australia by watercraft, crossing at least 90 km of open sea — the earliest evidence of deliberate maritime travel.
As Homo sapiens enters Europe and western Asia, interbreeding with Neanderthals leaves a lasting genetic legacy — 1-4% of the DNA of non-African populations today.
Modern humans spread across Europe, coexisting with Neanderthals for several thousand years before the latter's extinction.
The stunning cave paintings at Chauvet, Lascaux, and Altamira are created — among humanity's greatest artistic achievements.
Modern humans are firmly established across China, Southeast Asia, and the Japanese archipelago.
The last Neanderthal populations disappear from southern Europe, leaving Homo sapiens as the sole surviving human species.
Ice sheets reach their greatest extent, covering much of North America and northern Europe. Sea levels drop by over 120 meters, exposing land bridges.
The first humans reach the Americas, likely via the Bering land bridge and possibly coastal routes along the Pacific.
Temperatures rise rapidly, glaciers retreat, and new environments open up across the northern hemisphere — setting the stage for agriculture.