Archaeologists Found Evidence of Ancient Humans Living Where No One Thought They Could

A new study published in *Nature* reveals that early humans inhabited rainforests in West Africa at least 150,000 years ago, nearly double the previous estimate. The findings challenge the long-held belief that rainforests were inhospitable environments for early human settlement due to their dense, toxic vegetation and difficult terrain. The research focuses on the Bété I excavation site in Côte d'Ivoire, located about 12 miles north of Abidjan, which was first surveyed in the 1980s by professor Yodé Guédé from the Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny. Using modern techniques unavailable at the time, researchers reanalyzed the site with Guédé’s assistance. The team employed Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) and Electron-Spin Resonance (ESR) to date quartz grains from sediments, as no bone remains were present for other dating methods. The study’s lead author, Eleanor Scerri from the University of Cologne, stated that the findings highlight the ecological diversity central to human evolution. The evidence suggests that different human populations adapted to varied environments, including rainforests, far earlier than scientists had assumed. James Blinkhorn, a co-author from the University of Liverpool, noted that state-of-the-art methods allowed them to re-examine the site and confirm its significance. Previously, the oldest known evidence of human habitation in African rainforests dated back 18,000 years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while a 2017 study in Sumatra pushed the timeline back over 50,000 years. This new research extends that timeline dramatically, reshaping the understanding of early human migration and adaptation. The discovery underscores how humans may have played a role in shaping these ecosystems long before modern civilization.