When were the first members of the genus able to adapt to extreme environments such as deserts and rainforests? Homo? The most common answer to this complex question in the history of human evolution points to our species, to A wise man. However, a site in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania has just provided multidisciplinary evidence that reveals that the robust and squat The man stood upthe first human ancestor to migrate out of Africa, was able to survive in a super-arid landscape approximately 1.2 million years ago.
Using biogeochemical analyses, chronometric dating, paleoclimatic simulations, fire history reconstructions, paleobotanical studies or archaeological evidence, a team led by Julio Mercadera Spanish researcher at the University of Calgary (Canada) and the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES), has been able to document what the environment was like in this eastern area of Africa where the H. erectus a million years ago: a landscape dominated by semi-desert bushes.
The archaeological materials recovered during the excavations suggest that the groups of this human species developed adaptations in their behavior that increased their chances of survival in an extreme area. For example, they made specialized stone tools (denticulates) to increase the efficiency of butchering their prey and returned over thousands of years and different generations to specific rivers and ponds where they could be supplied with drinking water from rain.
Artist’s recreation of an infant ‘Homo erectus’ in the Ethiopian highlands two million years ago.
“He The man stood upnow extinct, existed for more than a million and a half years, making it a successful species in the history of human evolution when compared to our own existence, estimated from 300,000 years ago to date,” says Michael Petraglia, professor at Griffith University (Australia). “That success was due to its ability to survive for a long period marked by many environmental and climate changes“adds Julio Mercader.
Despite the challenges posed by semi-desert conditions – similar to those found on the margins of the Sahara or towards Arabia, such as dry lakes, saline soils or greater risk of forest fires – the H. erectus He was able to move through valleys created by rivers and streams and found sources of fresh water. According to the researchers, who have just published the results of their study in the journal Communications Earth & Environmentthese findings point towards an unknown ecological flexibility in archaic humans and only attributed until now to modern humans.
“This adaptive profile, marked by resilience in arid zones, challenges assumptions about the dispersal limits of early hominids and positions the The man stood up like him first hominid to transcend environmental boundaries on a global scale”, Subraya Petraglia.
“The data obtained at Engaji Nanyori are key to understanding how The man stood up managed resources in arid environments, showing an adaptive flexibility that marked the success of its dispersion,” points out Raquel HernandoJuan de la Cierva postdoctoral researcher at the National Center for Research on Human Evolution (CENIEH) and coordinator of the excavation work at this Tanzanian site, in which the faunal and industrial complexes were recovered, essential for reconstructing the subsistence strategies and the ecological dynamics of these hominids.
According to the researchers, this adaptability was one of the factors that facilitated the expansion of the H. erectus towards the arid regions of Africa and Eurasia, redefining its role as generalist species of skills to thrive in some of the most challenging landscapes of the Middle Pleistocene. The Engaji Nanyori site therefore indicates a paradigm shift in understanding the global settlement and ecological distribution of this species.