Scientists have uncovered evidence that humans lived in a tropical rainforest in West Africa 150,000 years ago. This finding pushes back human habitation of these regions by millions of years, challenging the long-held assumption that our ancestors evolved in open grasslands and savannahs.
According to Eleanor Scerri at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Germany, this new discovery suggests that early humans were highly adaptable and able to thrive in a wide range of environments. “Ecological diversity is at the heart of human evolution,” she said. This breakthrough sheds new light on our ancestors’ ability to survive and flourish in diverse terrains, potentially rewriting the history of human habitation.
Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2469891-humans-were-living-in-tropical-forests-surprisingly-early