An international group of anthropologists managed to determine when Homo erectus learned to survive in the harsh conditions of a desert climate.
The results of the study were published in the scientific journal Communications Earth & Environment (CEE).
Homo erectus is considered one of the earliest direct ancestors of modern humans. Experts estimate that this primitive man appeared about 2 million years ago in East Africa and disappeared between 400,000 and 100,000 years ago.
In the new study, the research team collected archaeological, geological and paleoclimatic data from Engaji Naniori (Tanzania), a reference site for excavations in areas inhabited by early hominids. Between 1.2 and 1 million years ago, this territory still had semi-arid conditions.
Scientists have discovered that groups of Homo erectus gradually learned to adapt to the dry climate. They periodically returned to fresh water sources and created jagged stone tools that allowed them to slice meat more efficiently.
This discovery disproves previous hypotheses that only Homo sapiens would have been able to adapt to extreme environments. The new data show that Homo erectus was a versatile species, able to survive in the harshest conditions in Africa and Eurasia.
