近日，德国马克斯·普朗克地球人类学研究所教授Eleanor M. L. Scerri及其研究团队报道15万年前非洲潮湿的热带森林里的人类。这一研究成果于2025年2月26日发表在国际顶尖学术期刊《自然》上。

在这里，研究小组报告了中更新世晚期物质文化与C科特迪瓦，今天的热带雨林地区。双生光激发发光和电子自旋共振测年方法将人类在b号上的活动限制在150把他们和智人联系起来。植物蜡生物标志物、稳定同位素、植物岩和花粉分析均指向湿润森林环境。研究结果代表了人类与这种栖息地类型之间已知的最古老的明确联系。石器组合与潮湿森林环境的可靠归因表明，早在大约150万年前，非洲的森林就不是智人的主要生态屏障。

研究人员表示，大约300年前，人类出现在非洲各地。尽管这一泛非进化过程暗示了人类故事中的多种环境，但热带森林的作用仍然知之甚少。

附：英文原文

Title: Humans in Africa’s wet tropical forests 150 thousand years ago

Author: Ben Arous, Eslem, Blinkhorn, James A., Elliott, Sarah, Kiahtipes, Christopher A., Nzi, Charles D., Bateman, Mark D., Duval, Mathieu, Roberts, Patrick, Patalano, Robert, Blackwood, Alexander F., Niang, Khady, Kouam, Eugnie Affoua, Lebato, Edith, Hallett, Emily, Cerasoni, Jacopo N., Scott, Erin, Ilgner, Jana, Alonso Escarza, Maria Jess, Gud, Francois Yod, Scerri, Eleanor M. L.

Issue&Volume: 2025-02-26

Abstract: Humans emerged across Africa shortly before 300 thousand years ago (ka)1,2,3. Although this pan-African evolutionary process implicates diverse environments in the human story, the role of tropical forests remains poorly understood. Here we report a clear association between late Middle Pleistocene material culture and a wet tropical forest in southern Cte d’Ivoire, a region of present-day rainforest. Twinned optically stimulated luminescence and electron spin resonance dating methods constrain the onset of human occupations at Bété I to around 150ka, linking them with Homo sapiens. Plant wax biomarker, stable isotope, phytolith and pollen analyses of associated sediments all point to a wet forest environment. The results represent the oldest yet known clear association between humans and this habitat type. The secure attribution of stone tool assemblages with the wet forest environment demonstrates that Africa’s forests were not a major ecological barrier for H. sapiens as early as around 150ka.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08613-y

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08613-y