Homo erectus adapted to steppe-desert climate extremes one million years ago

Questions about when early members of the genus <i>Homo</i> adapted to extreme environments like deserts and rainforests have traditionally focused on <i>Homo sapiens</i>. Here, we present multidisciplinary evidence from Engaji Nanyori in Tanzania's Oldupai Gorge, revealing that <i>Homo erectus</i> thrived in hyperarid landscapes one million years ago. Using biogeochemical analyses, precise chronometric dating, palaeoclimate simulations, biome modeling, fire history reconstructions, palaeobotanical studies, faunal assemblages, and archeological evidence, we reconstruct an environment dominated by semidesert shrubland. Despite these challenges, <i>Homo erectus</i> repeatedly occupied fluvial landscapes, leveraging water sources and ecological focal points to mitigate risk. These findings suggest archaic humans possessed an ecological flexibility previously attributed only to later hominins. This adaptability likely facilitated the expansion of <i>Homo erectus</i> into the arid regions of Africa and Eurasia, redefining their role as ecological generalists thriving in some of the most challenging landscapes of the Middle Pleistocene.

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Publication Details

Journal
Communications Earth & Environment
Published
2025-01-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01919-1
Citations
14
Primary Topic
Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
158.84

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article

Homo erectus adapted to steppe-desert climate extremes one million years ago

Tristan Carter, Wenju Zhao, Julien Favreau, Steve Larter et al.
14 citations
Communications Earth & Environment
Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
158.84
article

Homo erectus adapted to steppe-desert climate extremes one million years ago

Tristan Carter, Wenju Zhao, Julien Favreau, Steve Larter, Arturo Cueva-Temprana, Abel D. Shikoni, Alfredo Camacho, Renzo C. Silva, Michael D. Petraglia, Pamela Akuku, Patrick Roberts, Stephen M. Hubbard, Palmira Saladié, Jed O. Kaplan, Nicole Boivin, Julio Mercader, María Soto, Raquel Hernando, Abdallah Mohamed, Jennifer M. Galloway, Siobhán Clarke, Aloyce Mwambwiga, Stephen Peter Magohe, Paul R. Durkin, Haiping Huang, A. T. Oladele, Dominica Stricklin, Degsew Z. Mekonnen
article en
14 citations

Abstract

Questions about when early members of the genus <i>Homo</i> adapted to extreme environments like deserts and rainforests have traditionally focused on <i>Homo sapiens</i>. Here, we present multidisciplinary evidence from Engaji Nanyori in Tanzania's Oldupai Gorge, revealing that <i>Homo erectus</i> thrived in hyperarid landscapes one million years ago. Using biogeochemical analyses, precise chronometric dating, palaeoclimate simulations, biome modeling, fire history reconstructions, palaeobotanical studies, faunal assemblages, and archeological evidence, we reconstruct an environment dominated by semidesert shrubland. Despite these challenges, <i>Homo erectus</i> repeatedly occupied fluvial landscapes, leveraging water sources and ecological focal points to mitigate risk. These findings suggest archaic humans possessed an ecological flexibility previously attributed only to later hominins. This adaptability likely facilitated the expansion of <i>Homo erectus</i> into the arid regions of Africa and Eurasia, redefining their role as ecological generalists thriving in some of the most challenging landscapes of the Middle Pleistocene.

Communications Earth & EnvironmentVol. 6(1)
Smithsonian Institution (US), Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (ES), Griffith University (AU), The University of Queensland (AU), University of Calgary (CA), University of Dar es Salaam (TZ), Government of Ethiopia (ET), Alberta Bible College (CA), Alberta Energy (CA), The University of Dodoma (TZ), University of Arusha (TZ), Tanzania National Parks (TZ), Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (ES), Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (ES), Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (ES), National Museums of Kenya (KE), Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (DE), Department of Archaeology (LK), Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, University of Manitoba (CA), Universitat Rovira i Virgili (ES), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (ES), University of Algarve (PT), McMaster University (CA)
Smithsonian Institution, McMaster University, University of Dar es Salaam, Griffith University, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
158.84
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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