Scientists find possible artefacts of oldest known Wallacean prehistoric humans in Indonesia
Archaeologists from Australia and Indonesia found the small, chipped tools, used to cut little animals and carve rocks, under the soil in the region of Soppeng in South Sulawesi.
SOPPENG, Indonesia – Scientists have found a series of stone tools on Indonesia's Sulawesi island they say may be evidence of humans living 1.5 million years ago on islands between Asia and Australia, the earliest known humans in the Wallacea region.
Wallacea is a region in Eastern Indonesia including several islands such as Sulawesi, Lombok, Flores, Timor, Sumbawa that lie between Borneo and Java and Australia and New Guinea. The region is named for the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace who studied the fauna and flora of the area.
Archaeologists from Australia and Indonesia found the small, chipped tools, used to cut little animals and carve rocks, under the soil in the region of Soppeng in South Sulawesi. Radioactive tracing of these tools and the teeth of animals found around the site were dated at up to 1.48 million years ago.
The findings could transform theories of early human migrations, according to an article the archaeologists published in the journal Nature in August.
The earliest Wallacean humans, pre-historic persons known as Homo Erectus, were thought to have only settled in Indonesia's Flores island and Philippines' Luzon island around 1.02 million years ago, as they were thought to be incapable of distant sea travel, proving the significance of the Sulawesi findings in theories of migration.
'These were artefacts made by ancient humans who lived on the earth long before the evolution of our species, Homo Sapiens,' said Professor Adam Brumm, lead archaeologist from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.
'We think Homo Erectus somehow got from the Asian mainland across a significant ocean gap to this island, Sulawesi, at least 1 million years ago,' said the professor, whose contributions to the field span 21 years of grant-funded research in Indonesia. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Climate heat extremes driving tropical bird decline: Study
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Nearly half of all bird species are found in biodiversity-rich tropical regions. PARIS - Tropical bird populations have plummeted not only due to deforestation but also extreme heat attributable to climate change, according to a study published on Aug 11 in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. Intensifying temperatures caused a 25 per cent to 38 per cent reduction in tropical bird populations between 1950 and 2020, compared to a scenario without manmade global warming, scientists based in Europe and Australia reported. 'The findings are pretty stark,' lead author Maximilian Kotz, a researcher at the National Supercomputing Centre in Barcelona and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), told AFP. Bird populations in the tropics now face 30 days of heat extremes per year compared to three per year in the mid-20th century, he noted. 'This has major consequences for how we think about biodiversity conservation,' Dr Kotz said by email. 'Protecting pristine habitats is crucial, but without dealing with climate change it won't be enough for birds.' Nearly half of all bird species are found in biodiversity-rich tropical regions. These often colourful animals perform essential services for ecosystems, such as dispersing plant seeds. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Singapore raises 2025 economic growth forecast but warns of uncertainty from US tariffs Singapore Circle Line to end early most Fridays and Saturdays, start late most weekends from Sept 5 to Dec 28 Business StarHub buys rest of MyRepublic's broadband business in $105m deal; comes after Simba buys M1 Singapore Telco price undercutting expected to subside after sale of M1 to Simba: Analysts World After tariff truce extended, a Trump-Xi summit in China? Asia Death of student in Sabah raises hurdle for Malaysian PM Anwar as he faces tough state polls soon Opinion Sumiko at 61: Hearing loss is linked to dementia risk. Here's what you risk by ignoring it Opinion For Singapore, the AI revolution is coming just in time Invasive species another threat But birds living in these regions may already be 'close to the limits' of their tolerance to high temperatures, which can cause heatstroke (hyperthermia) or dehydration. The overview study does not provide figures for individual species, but earlier literature is rich with examples of the devastating impact of rising temperatures. One documented the heat-related decline of birds in Panama, including the king quetzal, the red-crested quetzal, the two-coloured kingfisher and the aurora trogon. Another study published in 2017 showed how some tropical hummingbirds are now forced to seek shade to regulate their temperature in extreme heat, cutting into the amount of time they can spend searching for life-sustaining nectar. Extreme heat waves, which are becoming more frequent, represent a far greater threat than increases in average temperatures or rainfall, another result of human-induced climate change. Up to now, it has been assumed that the decline in bird populations worldwide was due mainly to other well-identified factors, especially habitat loss, pesticide use, hunting, and invasive species, especially snakes that snack on bird eggs and mosquitos carrying avian malaria. But the new findings 'challenge the view that direct human pressures have so far been the dominant driver of impacts on bird populations compared to climate change in tropical regions', according to the authors. To reach this conclusion, they analysed observational data from more than 3,000 bird populations around the world and used statistical modelling to isolate the effects of extreme weather from other factors. The findings help complete the picture of tropical bird decline, noted Dr Aimee Van Tatenhove, a post-doctoral fellow at Cornell University's Center for Avian Population Studies who was not involved in the study. 'Deforestation has an obvious impact – trees are cut and habitat is destroyed,' she told AFP. 'We need long-term datasets like the authors used to understand how extreme temperatures impact avian populations.' 'This study is an important reminder that we need to continue examining different causes of population declines and apply those findings to conservation initiatives,' she continued. AFP
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
‘Mutually assured disruption': China's rare earths give US a reality check
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox After President Donald Trump's so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs, Beijing hit back with export controls on seven rare earth elements and the magnets made from them. Let's be honest: The 17 rare earth elements lurking at the bottom of the periodic table – with names like dysprosium and terbium – are hardly on most people's radars. Even those with a passing grasp of chemistry likely have no idea what they look like, let alone what they are used for.
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Straits Times
Scientists find possible artefacts of oldest known Wallacean prehistoric humans in Indonesia
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Archaeologists from Australia and Indonesia found the small, chipped tools, used to cut little animals and carve rocks, under the soil in the region of Soppeng in South Sulawesi. SOPPENG, Indonesia – Scientists have found a series of stone tools on Indonesia's Sulawesi island they say may be evidence of humans living 1.5 million years ago on islands between Asia and Australia, the earliest known humans in the Wallacea region. Wallacea is a region in Eastern Indonesia including several islands such as Sulawesi, Lombok, Flores, Timor, Sumbawa that lie between Borneo and Java and Australia and New Guinea. The region is named for the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace who studied the fauna and flora of the area. Archaeologists from Australia and Indonesia found the small, chipped tools, used to cut little animals and carve rocks, under the soil in the region of Soppeng in South Sulawesi. Radioactive tracing of these tools and the teeth of animals found around the site were dated at up to 1.48 million years ago. The findings could transform theories of early human migrations, according to an article the archaeologists published in the journal Nature in August. The earliest Wallacean humans, pre-historic persons known as Homo Erectus, were thought to have only settled in Indonesia's Flores island and Philippines' Luzon island around 1.02 million years ago, as they were thought to be incapable of distant sea travel, proving the significance of the Sulawesi findings in theories of migration. 'These were artefacts made by ancient humans who lived on the earth long before the evolution of our species, Homo Sapiens,' said Professor Adam Brumm, lead archaeologist from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. 'We think Homo Erectus somehow got from the Asian mainland across a significant ocean gap to this island, Sulawesi, at least 1 million years ago,' said the professor, whose contributions to the field span 21 years of grant-funded research in Indonesia. REUTERS
