Scientists Discover Early Human Habitation in West African Rainforest 150,000 Years Ago, Challenging Historical Assumptions
Recent archaeological findings in Côte d'Ivoire have revealed that early humans inhabited the West African rainforest approximately 150,000 years ago. This discovery, reported by ScienceDaily and conducted by researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, challenges the long-held belief that early Homo sapiens avoided dense tropical rainforests. The excavation of the Bété I site uncovered stone tools and other evidence indicating a rainforest environment, pushing back the timeline of known rainforest habitation by more than double the previous estimates. Advanced dating techniques, such as Optically Stimulated Luminescence and Electron-Spin Resonance, were used to determine the age of the artifacts. The study highlights the ecological diversity that played a crucial role in the survival of Homo sapiens, suggesting that early humans were more adaptable to various environments than previously thought. 
