When Did Sailors First Cross the Strait of Gibraltar?

FERRARA, ITALY—Analysis of mitochondrial DNA obtained from people who lived on the Iberian Peninsula between 4,500 and 3,000 years ago suggests they were related to people living in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a New Scientist report. It had been previously thought that the dangerous waters of the Strait of Gibraltar prevented the movement of people between Africa and Spain and Portugal until the eighth century A.D. “We found that it may be from a time much earlier than that,” said Gloria Maria Gonzalez Fortes of the University of Ferrara. To read about evidence of early human activity in Spain dating back around 800,000 years, go to “Evolve and Catch Fire.”