Tristan Hughes

Yeah, it is such a fascinating scientific field.

And I must admit, I'm someone who doesn't have a big scientific background at all.

So I'm loving learning more about this.

If we go back to Arabia, and you've highlighted how it's more tricky learning more about the earliest people populating Arabia because of the temperatures.

I

What other methods do you have to use alongside ancient DNA?

Okay.

I know the evidence is more tentative, but I hope you don't mind if we go before 7,000 years ago right now with these earlier, I don't know if I want to say unsuccessful, but more temporary occupations of people in Arabia.

You mentioned that evidence from 130,000-120,000 years ago.

Do we have these brief moments which seems like there is human occupation in Arabia earlier on?

And this is also important to highlight because I know you also have done a lot of work on the Levant where there's the presence of Neanderthals and of early Homo sapiens together.

Do we not think that Neanderthals made it into Arabia?

Do we think that the Levant is almost the cutoff point?

If we can focus quickly also on those out-of-Africa migrations.

Pierre, I know you've done a lot of work around this as well.

Can you tell us how they relate to those early groups of Homo sapiens going into Arabia?

And then, as you mentioned, they ultimately sometimes retreat back into Africa.

But can you explain how DNA is making us rethink the nature of those migrations into Arabia at that time?

The reason I ask also is that because I know, as you mentioned, no remains before 7,000 years ago, so it is much more tricky in Arabia.

But I've got on my notes things like the Gate of Tears and how with early successful migrations of humans out of Africa, that it seems likely that they went along the Arabian coast.