Scientists have suggested that modern humans may have left Africa for Arabia much earlier than previously believed, up to 65,000 years earlier. They believe that the migration was due to environmental factors rather than technological advancements. The findings indicate that the migrants traveled directly to the Arabian Peninsula from Africa, rather than through the Nile Valley or the Near East as previously thought. Researchers studied ancient tools found at the Jebel Faya archaeological site in the UAE, dating them to be between 100,000 and 125,000 years old using luminescence dating. Simon Armitage, from the University of London, stated that these findings should prompt a re-evaluation of how modern humans spread globally. The research, led by Hans-Peter Uerpmann of Eberhard Karls University in Tuebingen, revealed that the tools discovered were not made in the Middle East but bore a resemblance to those made by early humans in east Africa. This suggests that individuals did not need any specific cultural advancements to leave Africa. The study, published in Science, indicates that environmental factors such as sea levels were more significant than technological advancements in facilitating the migration. By analyzing sea-level and climate-change records from the last interglacial period, the researchers determined that the Bab al-Mandab strait would have been narrower around 130,000 years ago, providing a safe passage out of Africa. Uerpmann suggested that the straits could have been crossed at low tide, leading to the possibility that early humans either walked across or used rafts or boats to travel. Previously, it was believed that the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula would have prevented a migration from Africa, but a new study indicates that Arabia experienced a wetter climate during the last interglacial period, with increased lakes, rivers, and vegetation, making it easier for humans to make the journey. While the timing of the exodus of modern humans from Africa has been a topic of much discussion, previous evidence pointed to a migration along the Mediterranean Sea or Arabian coast approximately 60,000 years ago.