Before leaving Africa, humans already knew how to survive in the world (according to a study)

A new study published in the journal Nature reveals that modern humans were already capable of surviving in a wide variety of ecosystems (African, of course) before beginning their migration out of the continent some 50,000 years ago. This adaptability, developed thousands of years before the Great Exodus, would have been key to their subsequent global expansion.

The work, led by an international team of researchers, has combined archaeological, paleoenvironmental, and climatic data to analyze how human occupation patterns evolved in Africa between 300,000 and 60,000 years ago, LiveScience reports. The results show that Homo sapiens occupied regions with very diverse conditions—from tropical rainforests to deserts—and that their behavior varied depending on the environment.

According to the authors, this ecological flexibility was unprecedented among hominids and suggests that modern humans did not rely on specific conditions to establish themselves. Rather than seeking specific niches, they were capable of adapting to multiple scenarios. This plasticity would have resulted from cumulative changes in culture, shared knowledge, and social organization.

"What we observed around 70,000 years ago is that Homo sapiens became the ultimate generalist, pushing into increasingly extreme environments," said study co-senior author Andrea Manica. "That newfound flexibility gave them an advantage 50,000 years ago, allowing them to expand rapidly across the planet and thrive in novel and sometimes very challenging environments, such as those at more northern latitudes."

One of the most significant findings is that, contrary to what was previously thought, humans did not develop this versatility in response to a sudden climate change that forced them to abandon Africa. On the contrary, this capacity would have developed over thousands of years within the continent itself, in a gradual and sustained process.

Humans did not evolve this versatility in response to a sudden climate change that forced them to leave Africa.

During this period, humans would have experimented with different subsistence strategies , such as hunting animals of various sizes and using a variety of tools depending on the environment. They also moved seasonally to exploit resources, indicating a deep understanding of the territory and a high degree of planning.

The study also challenges the idea that the out-of-Africa migration was a single or explosive event. Instead, the authors propose that it was the result of long preparation and multiple prior attempts, some of which failed. The big difference is that, by the time the successful expansion occurred, humans already had an unprecedented ability to adapt to new ecosystems.