Research has revealed that humanity has lived in tropical rainforests for the past 150,000 years. Until now, evidence of human habitation in tropical rainforests dated back only 18,000 years, making this new finding 130,000 years earlier.
An international research team led by the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany announced on the 27th in the journal Nature that they discovered traces of Homo sapiens from 150,000 years ago at the Vité I archaeological site in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa.
Stone axes and small tools dating back about 150,000 years were found at the Côte d'Ivoire site. This suggests that Homo sapiens, the direct ancestors of modern humans, lived there at that time. Analysis of pollen and plant remains from the 150,000-year-old sediment layers confirmed that the environment then was a humid, hot tropical rainforest, similar to today.
In Asia and Oceania, evidence suggests that humans lived in tropical rainforests starting about 45,000 years ago; however, it was believed that they migrated to rainforests in Africa much later, around 18,000 years ago. This research significantly advances that timeline.
The research team noted, "Ancient tropical rainforests were considered places where it was difficult for humans to survive due to their heat, humidity, and scarcity of food, but this discovery shows that early humans adapted and thrived in that environment," adding that "this will provide new insights into human survival strategies and evolutionary processes."
Humanity first appeared in Africa about 300,000 years ago and is known to have spread globally. The researchers also suggested that the West African tropical rainforest might have been a center for early human evolution. They plan to conduct further studies at other archaeological sites in West Africa, starting with this discovery.
The research team suggested that "West Africa served not just as a simple migration route but played a crucial role in human survival and evolution," adding that it provides clues to explore regions that have not been previously highlighted.
References
Nature (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08613-y