How Humans Endured the Global Climate Crisis 8,200 Years Ago

Approximately 4,000 years following the last ice age, hunter-gatherers faced another instance of abrupt climate change and had to quickly adapt to a significantly colder environment.

While it may not have been as frigid or lengthy as the last ice age, which concluded roughly 11,700 years ago, the 8.2 ka cooling event resulted in a rapid temperature drop of 6°C (10.8°F) within a decade. Concurrently, a landmass the size of Scotland began to drift away from the Norwegian coast…