Early humans not only survived a massive volcanic eruption 74,000 years ago, they even flourished during the resulting climate change that occurred, a study has found.
The Toba eruption - the largest in the past 2 million years - was so immense, it spewed ash and smoke around the world, including South Africa, some 6,200 miles away.
According to previous studies, "winter" of ash and smoke spread thousands of miles, destroyed plants, killed animals, and nearly wiped out humans.
The findings, published in the journal Nature, countered previously held beliefs and showed that there was a remarkable improvement in their life style during the volcanic winter caused by the Toba eruption.
Researchers went to South Africa and collected samples from the Pinnacle Point looking for evidence of the Toba super volcano.
The shards are both tiny and hard to come by - roughly 1 in every 10,000 grains of sand, Eugene Smith from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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Smith quickly identified the pieces as cryptotephra, very old microscopic glass shards that were ejected during a volcanic eruption.
The researchers were able to show that those human ancestors living at Pinnacle Point and Vleesbaai - located about five miles apart - showed remarkable improvement in their life style during the volcanic winter caused by the Toba eruption.
"Humans in this region thrived through the Toba event and the ensuing full glacial conditions, perhaps as a combined result of the uniquely rich resource base of the region and fully evolved modern human adaptation," they said.