New study challenges the story of humanity's shift from prehistoric hunting to farming

Modelling the demography of agricultural transitions

Using a mathematical model, researchers have shed new light on the transition from hunter-gatherer to farming societies. Rather than focusing exclusively on external factors, they looked at internal demographics and the significant impact of human interactions. The model identified potential societal outcomes based on demographic changes, emphasising aspects such as migration rates, cultural assimilation and the role of mortality in these transi…

New Study Challenges the Narrative of Humanity’s Shift From Hunting to Farming

Early human species. Credit: Vince Smith / CC BY 2.0 A new study challenges long-held beliefs about humanity’s transition from hunting and gathering to farming, one of the most significant changes in human history. Traditionally, researchers attributed this transformation to environmental factors such as climate change, rainfall, or fertile river valleys. However, the new study asserts that human interactions played a significantly more active r…

New study challenges the story of humanity's shift from prehistoric hunting to farming

A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has turned traditional thinking on its head by highlighting the role of human interactions during the shift from hunting and gathering to farming—one of the biggest changes in human history—rather than earlier ideas that focused on environmental factors.

For hundreds of thousands of years, humans were hunters and gatherers who roamed around in search of food. About 12,000 years ago, they decided to settle down. It was always thought that climate change was the cause, but that seems to be different. You have the invention of the wheel, the steam train or the internet, but it is all […] More science? Read the latest articles on Scientias.nl .

One Of The Biggest Changes In Human Prehistory Challenged By Scientists - Ancient Pages

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com -  A recent study has challenged traditional thinking by emphasizing the significance of human interactions in the transition from hunting and gathering to farming—one of humanity's most significant historical shifts. San Bushman rock art Perdekop Farm North of Mossel bay. Credit: Andrew Moir - CC BY 2.0 Previously, theories predominantly attributed […]

New insights reveal how social dynamics drove the rise of agriculture

London, UK (SPX) Apr 01, 2025 A groundbreaking study featured in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reexamines the long-held belief that environmental changes solely sparked the dawn of agriculture. Instead, it emphasizes the central role human interactions played in humanity's shift from foraging to farming roughly 12,000 years ago. For generations, theories about this pivotal transform