Long-term behavioral adaptation of Oldowan toolmakers to resource-constrained environments at 2.3 Ma in the Lower Omo Valley (Ethiopia)

Research at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lower Valley of the Omo, reveals that early hominins, including Paranthropus aethiopicus and possibly early Homo species, demonstrated remarkable adaptability to resource-scarce environments around 2.3 million years ago (Ma). The study, focusing on the newly investigated site complex OMO 79 in Ethiopia's Shungura Formation, provides the first evidence of multiple phases of hominin tool-making and use, suggesting a long-lasting techno-economic behavior. This finding marks a cognitive tipping point, indicating that early hominins were capable of adapting their stone tool-mediated activities to challenging environmental conditions. The research combines detailed stratigraphic and paleo-depositional data to shed light on the complex interactions between hominin landscape use and technological development during this critical period in human evolution.

Delagnes, A., Galland, A., Gravina, B., Bertran, P., Corbé, M., Brenet, M., Hailu, H. B., Sissay, F. M., Araya, B. G., Woldetsadik, M. G., & Boisserie, J.-R. (2023). Long-term behavioral adaptation of Oldowan toolmakers to resource-constrained environments at 2.3 Ma in the Lower Omo Valley (Ethiopia). Scientific Reports, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-40793-3