According to scientists, modern humans may have departed Africa for Arabia much earlier than previously believed, possibly up to 65,000 years earlier. The migration was likely due to environmental factors rather than technological advancements. Research indicates that the migrants took a direct route from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, rather than traveling through the Nile Valley or the Near East as previously thought. An international team of researchers examined ancient tools found at the Jebel Faya archaeological site in the United Arab Emirates, which included hand axes, perforators, and scrapers. The discovery suggests a need to reconsider how modern humans spread globally. Luminescence dating revealed that the stone tools were between 100,000 and 125,000 years old. Hans-Peter Uerpmann from Eberhard Karls University in Tuebingen conducted research showing that the tools found were likely not made in the Middle East, but rather resembled those made by early humans in east Africa. This suggests that humans may have left Africa without needing any specific cultural advancements. The study, published in Science, indicates that environmental factors, such as sea levels, played a more crucial role in enabling migration than technological advancements. By analyzing sea-level and climate-change records from around 130,000 years ago, the researchers determined that the Bab al-Mandab strait between Arabia and the Horn of Africa would have been narrower at that time, providing a safe passage out of Africa before and during the last interglacial period. Uerpmann suggested that the straits may have been crossable at low tide, allowing modern humans to walk or travel on rafts or boats. Previous beliefs that the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula would have prevented an exodus from Africa have been challenged by a new study indicating that Arabia was more hospitable during the last interglacial period, with increased bodies of water and vegetation. While the timing of modern humans leaving Africa has been debated, earlier evidence pointed to a migration along the Mediterranean Sea or Arabian coast around 60,000 years ago.