A study suggests that Homo erectus could live in desert areas a million years ago, challenging the belief that this ability developed later with Homo sapiens.
The period when early humans adjusted to harsh environments like deserts and tropical forests represents a significant moment in human history, according to paleoarchaeologist Julio Mercader Florin from the University of Calgary.
For a while, scientists believed that only Homo sapiens, which appeared 300,000 years ago, could thrive in such environments, while ancient hominids, the early members of the human lineage, were restricted to milder ecosystems like forests, grasslands, and wetlands.
It was believed that the hominids at the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, a significant prehistoric location, had developed in such surroundings.
The study revealed that the deserted steppe in the Rift valley, featuring carved walls, plays a crucial role in understanding early human evolution.
The researchers reconstructed the ecosystem with the help of biogeochemical analyses, simulations of past climates, and studies of ancient plants.
Between 1.2 million and 1 million years ago, the area experienced severe drought, as evidenced by the discovery of fossil pollens from ephedras, which are common in arid regions, along with signs of forest fires and saline, alkaline soils.
Specialized equipment –
The archaeological evidence from Engaji Nanyori indicates that Homo erectus adjusted to the challenging surroundings by concentrating on strategic ecological locations such as river confluences or ponds, where water and food resources were more reliable, according to Mercader Florin.
This has endured for thousands of years.
The specialist explains that the capability to repeatedly investigate key locations and adjust their actions in extreme environments shows a greater level of resilience and strategic planning than previously thought.
The specific implements available on the website, such as hand axes, burins, scrapers, and cleavers, demonstrate Homo erectus’ advancement in utilizing animal remains.
The numerous animal bones, mostly from cattle but also including hippos, crocodiles, antelopes, and horses, show cut marks suggesting activities like butchering, skinning, or extracting bone marrow.
They made the most of limited resources to adjust to the difficulties of dry areas, where resources were scarce and needed to be fully utilized,” according to Mercader Florin.
The adaptive profile challenges assumptions about how far the first hominids dispersed and identifies Homo erectus as the first hominid to traverse environmental boundaries globally, according to the study’s authors.
Homo erectus managed to thrive in challenging environments with limited food, difficult navigation, varying vegetation, extreme weather, and mobility requirements, according to Mercader Florin.
This expert in human evolution assesses that the adaptability enhances the likelihood of Homo erectus being present in the Saarian-Indian region as well as comparable environments in Asia, which are vast desert areas.