Recent archaeological excavations in Laos have uncovered a cave site that provides significant evidence of the earliest human settlements in Southeast Asia. This study sheds light on how early humans adapted to ancient climate changes in the region.
Published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, the research involved reconstructing ground conditions at Tam Pà Ling Cave, dating from 52,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Previous excavations had revealed human fossils ranging from 30,000 to 90,000 years old, suggesting that modern humans spread to the area earlier than previously thought. However, detailed analysis of the surrounding sediments had not been conducted before.
Researchers from Flinders University in Australia aimed to understand changes in past environments through microscopic analysis of soil samples taken from the cave.