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70,000 years is getting pretty close to the sudden emergence of culture in humans. A lot of folks believe that occurred because of the evolution of language.

I don't think it's impossible that this marked such a fundamental change that all who didn't have it couldn't compete.

Remember, when you're reading these reports, what they don't say. They don't say (or shouldn't) that this group of 2000 were the only humans alive. Just that all humans alive are descendents of those 2000, and not of any others.

I don't find it impossible to believe that those groups who had developed language simply stopped breeding with those that had not, and over the 30,000 years between the genetic choke-point and the archeological record of ubiquitous culture, simply supplanted those proto-humans who did not have the genetic capability for language.

I don't find it impossible to believe that those groups who had developed language simply stopped breeding with those that had not

Yeah, it's hard to get anywhere with somebody who doesn't understand "If I said you have a beautiful body would you hold it against me?"

"They don't say (or shouldn't) that this group of 2000 were the only humans alive. Just that all humans alive are descendents of those 2000, and not of any others. "

I agree. See my post #10. I expect there are other Mungo Man types out the yet to be discovered. I also believe we are Neanderthals but the DNA does not support that view. (Neanderthals may be the most recent dead-end at 27,500 years ago.)