Humans Lived in African Rainforests 150,000 Years Ago, Study Finds

New analysis of a West African site reveals the earliest evidence of human habitation in rainforests, reshaping understanding of human evolution.

Researchers discovered stone tools at the Bété I site in Côte d'Ivoire, dating back 150,000 years, doubling the previous estimate for human rainforest habitation.
The findings challenge long-held assumptions that rainforests were natural barriers to early human settlement and underscore ecological diversity in human evolution.
Sediment analysis confirmed the site was a dense rainforest at the time, with pollen and plant remains consistent with humid West African ecosystems.
The tools and environmental evidence suggest humans adapted to and possibly altered rainforest environments much earlier than previously thought.
The study highlights the need for further exploration of other Ivorian sites to understand early human activity in tropical forests.