Archaeologists excavating Tam Parin (Monkey Cave) in northeastern Laos have discovered some of the earliest fossil evidence homo sapiens Presence in mainland Southeast Asia.
Excavation survey at Thamparin in northeastern Laos. Image credit: Hernandez others., doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108982.
“Using a technique known as microstratigraphy, we were able to reconstruct past cave conditions and identify traces of human activity in and around Tamparin,” said Flinders University's Ph.D. says. Candidate Vito Hernandez.
“This also helped us determine the exact conditions in which some of the earliest modern human fossils found in Southeast Asia were deposited at depth.”
Microstratigraphy allows scientists to study soils in minute detail, identifying structures and features that preserve information about past environments, as well as potential structures and features that were overlooked during the excavation process due to their small size. Even traces of sexual human and animal activity can be observed.
The hominin fossils discovered by archaeologists were deposited in Tamparin Cave between 86,000 and 30,000 years ago.
However, until now, no detailed analysis of the sediment surrounding these fossils has been conducted to understand how they were deposited in the cave or the environmental conditions at the time.
The new findings reveal that conditions within the cave varied dramatically, from a temperate climate with frequently wet ground conditions to a seasonally dry climate.
Dr Mike Morley from Flinders University said: “This environmental change would have affected the topography inside the cave and influenced how the deposits containing hominin fossils were deposited inside the cave.” said.
“How fast! homo sapiens The theory that they were buried deep inside the cave has long been debated, but our analysis of the sediments suggests that the fossils were pushed into the cave as loose sediment and debris that accumulated over time and were washed away by heavy rains. It has been shown that it was likely carried by water from the surrounding hillsides. ”
Researchers have also identified tiny traces of charcoal and ash preserved in the cave's sediments, indicating that forest fires occurred in the area during the dry season, or that humans visited the cave. This suggests that fire may have been used inside the cave or near the entrance. .
“With this study, our team gained unprecedented insight into the dynamics of our ancestors, who dispersed throughout Southeast Asia's ever-changing forest cover and during periods of regional climate instability.” ,” said Dr. Fabrice Demeter, a paleoanthropologist at the National Museum of Nature and Science. University of Copenhagen.
of result Published in a magazine dated October 10th Quaternary Science Review.
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VC Hernandez others. Late Pleistocene–Holocene (52–10 ka) microstratigraphy, fossil taphonomy, and depositional environment of Tam Parin Cave (northeastern Laos). Quaternary Science Reviewpublished online October 10, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108982
Source: www.sci.news
