Humans Lived in Côte d'Ivoire 150,000 Years Ago

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology announced evidence that humans inhabited a rainforest in present-day Côte d'Ivoire roughly 150,000 years ago. The team re-examined a site initially investigated in the 1980s, using modern dating techniques to analyze stone tools buried underground. Analysis of pollen, plant structures, and chemical traces confirmed a heavily forested environment during the period of human occupation.

This discovery more than doubles the previously known age of the oldest evidence for human life in African rainforests. Before this, the oldest confirmed evidence dated to around 18,000 years ago. The findings suggest early Homo sapiens were more adaptable to diverse environments than previously understood, thriving in wet tropical forests.

However, rainforest archaeology presents unique challenges. Fossils rarely survive in humid climates, and dense vegetation complicates excavations.

The original site has also been destroyed by mining, making the recovered data even more crucial. Scientists suspect many older rainforest sites remain undiscovered in Africa, and further research will explore how early humans may have impacted these ecosystems.