Homo erectus, an early ancestor of modern humans, is widely recognized for its ability to adapt to diverse environments. New research published in Communications Earth & Environment provides even more compelling evidence of H. erectus’ adaptability, demonstrating that these early hominins were able to survive in desert-like environments as far back as 1.2 million years ago. This study challenges long-standing assumptions that only Homo sapiens possessed the behavioral flexibility necessary to thrive in extreme climates, such as deserts or rainforests, and sheds new light on the environmental reach of early human species.
The Debate on Adaptability in Early Hominins
For many years, researchers assumed that the capacity to live in harsh or extreme environments—such as deserts—was a skill acquired only by Homo sapiens. This assumption was largely based on the idea that the complex behavior and advanced tools developed by modern humans allowed them to manipulate their surroundings to such a degree that they could survive in a broad range of ecosystems, including some of the most challenging ones. However, studies like this one from Engaji Nanyori at Oldupai Gorge, Tanzania, force a rethinking of this view, suggesting that Homo erectus, which predated H. sapiens by nearly a million years, was also able to adjust to difficult environmental conditions with remarkable ingenuity.
The argument for this long-held perspective has been largely driven by observations of modern humans in extreme environments, coupled with gaps in the understanding of earlier hominins’ behavioral flexibility. The debate on this subject has been framed by two contrasting viewpoints. One camp contends that H. sapiens was the only hominin capable of such adaptability due to our advanced tool-making skills and complex social structures. The other, however, suggested that earlier species, like Homo erectus, must have been capable of adapting to their environments in different, but no less effective, ways. The new findings reported in this study provide compelling evidence for the latter argument.
Engaji Nanyori and the Evidence of Adaptation
The research team, led by Julio Mercader, Paul Durkin, and their colleagues, examined an archaeological site in the Engaji Nanyori area of Oldupai Gorge in Tanzania. Oldupai Gorge is renowned for yielding significant fossil and archaeological evidence from the Pleistocene era, including early hominin remains. The study site is key for understanding how hominins lived, behaved, and interacted with their environments nearly 1.2 million years ago.
This period coincides with the broader spread of Homo erectus, which had already colonized parts of Africa, and was poised to expand its range into other continents such as Asia and Europe. In this study, the authors explored the evidence of semi-desert conditions that persisted in the region between approximately 1.2 million and 1 million years ago, noting that characteristic plant life indicative of such environments was present at the site. Unlike lush rainforests or temperate woodlands, semi-deserts present harsher living conditions, where access to fresh water and reliable food sources can be sparse.
In such environments, it would have been difficult for hominin groups to survive unless they had developed specific strategies for finding food and water, as well as tools that made survival in these areas possible.
Behavior and Tools for Survival
The study provides evidence that Homo erectus developed a deep understanding of the environmental challenges they faced and adapted accordingly. One critical behavior noted was their practice of returning to specific freshwater sources, such as rivers, ponds, and springs, on a recurring basis over many generations. This suggests that Homo erectus may have established regular foraging patterns, relying on these locations for vital resources like water and animals for food. In effect, they were using a form of spatial and seasonal mobility to adjust to and navigate an environment where resources were not as universally available as in more temperate zones.
This evidence is further supported by the stone tools found in the archaeological layers at Engaji Nanyori. Among the artifacts discovered were specialized tools such as scrapers and denticulates (tools with notched edges). These tools appear to have been used for tasks that would increase the efficiency of hunting and butchering. Scrapers are commonly used to remove flesh from carcasses, while denticulates likely played a key role in processing raw animal materials, such as hides, which could then be utilized for tools or clothing. This tool kit reflects the adaptative ingenuity of Homo erectus in exploiting available resources efficiently, ensuring they could survive and even thrive in arid, resource-scarce landscapes.
Given the specialized nature of these tools, it is likely that the Homo erectus groups of the time had refined hunting and food-processing techniques, further evidence of their capability to adapt to and live in an environment where survival required both innovation and adaptability.
Challenging Traditional Views on Homo Erectus
The findings from this research challenge earlier assumptions about Homo erectus’ ability to survive in extreme ecosystems. For decades, the prevailing view within anthropological circles was that it was only Homo sapiens, with their advanced technology and social strategies, that could adapt to environments as extreme as deserts. This research argues against that narrow interpretation, suggesting that Homo erectus was not simply limited to temperate or forested areas, but was actually a generalist species capable of surviving across a range of different terrains, including semi-desert landscapes.
One of the key points emphasized by the authors is that Homo erectus may have been far more geographically and ecologically flexible than previously imagined. The early hominin species seems to have been adaptable not only to varying landscapes across Africa, but also to a changing climate, as environmental conditions shifted over time. The researchers suggest that it was precisely this adaptability to different ecological niches that facilitated the eventual expansion of H. erectus’ geographic range beyond Africa into parts of Asia and Europe, where they encountered and survived in drastically different environments.
The researchers underscore that the behavior they observed was not a one-time survival strategy, but rather an established practice that H. erectus populations used for thousands of years. Their repeated return to freshwater locations, along with the development of specialized tools for exploiting available resources, points to a high degree of behavioral complexity for a species that had no written record or advanced social organization like modern humans.
The Impact on Understanding Early Hominin Adaptability
This study has profound implications for how we understand the adaptability of early hominins. While it has long been assumed that only Homo sapiens were capable of such feats of environmental manipulation, the study of Homo erectus shows that earlier human species had much greater behavioral flexibility than has previously been acknowledged.
The idea that Homo erectus was a generalist species capable of surviving in multiple environments—far beyond the temperate zones we typically associate with early human evolution—offers an entirely new perspective on the evolutionary success of this species. It suggests that the ability to survive in a wide range of ecological conditions, coupled with advances in tool-making and food procurement strategies, was a key factor in the expansive range of Homo erectus across Africa, and later parts of Eurasia.
Homo erectus’ ability to adapt so successfully to desert-like environments at least 1.2 million years ago represents an important step in our understanding of human evolution. It not only redefines the ecological versatility of early hominins but also provides insight into the various strategies that allowed Homo erectus to thrive under extremely challenging conditions long before the appearance of Homo sapiens.
Conclusion
In light of these new findings, Homo erectus’ survival strategies appear more advanced and resourceful than previously thought. By developing the ability to navigate semi-desert conditions, utilizing recurring freshwater sources, and mastering specialized tools for hunting and butchering, Homo erectus demonstrated a remarkable degree of adaptability that challenged earlier assumptions about the unique capabilities of modern humans. The geographical spread of Homo erectus, potentially aided by these adaptive behaviors, adds a critical dimension to our understanding of early human migrations, and underscores the sophistication of this early species as they inhabited a variety of harsh and diverse environments. Ultimately, this study sheds new light on the complexity and resilience of Homo erectus, suggesting that early hominins were far more flexible and resourceful than once thought, capable of thriving in a much broader range of environments, including the desert-like conditions of Africa over a million years ago.
Reference: Julio Mercader, Homo erectus adapted to steppe-desert climate extremes one million years ago, Communications Earth & Environment (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-024-01919-1. www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01919-1