Nature Communications (Jun 2023)
Early presence of Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia by 86–68 kyr at Tam Pà Ling, Northern Laos
- Sarah E. Freidline,
- Kira E. Westaway,
- Renaud Joannes-Boyau,
- Philippe Duringer,
- Jean-Luc Ponche,
- Mike W. Morley,
- Vito C. Hernandez,
- Meghan S. McAllister-Hayward,
- Hugh McColl,
- Clément Zanolli,
- Philipp Gunz,
- Inga Bergmann,
- Phonephanh Sichanthongtip,
- Daovee Sihanam,
- Souliphane Boualaphane,
- Thonglith Luangkhoth,
- Viengkeo Souksavatdy,
- Anthony Dosseto,
- Quentin Boesch,
- Elise Patole-Edoumba,
- Françoise Aubaile,
- Françoise Crozier,
- Eric Suzzoni,
- Sébastien Frangeul,
- Nicolas Bourgon,
- Alexandra Zachwieja,
- Tyler E. Dunn,
- Anne-Marie Bacon,
- Jean-Jacques Hublin,
- Laura Shackelford,
- Fabrice Demeter
Affiliations
- Sarah E. Freidline
- Department of Anthropology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Howard Phillips Hall
- Kira E. Westaway
- School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University
- Renaud Joannes-Boyau
- Geoarchaeology and Archaeometry Research Group (GARG), Southern Cross University
- Philippe Duringer
- Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre, Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg (IPGS), UMR 7516 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg
- Jean-Luc Ponche
- Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire Image, Ville Environnement
- Mike W. Morley
- Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory, Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University
- Vito C. Hernandez
- Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory, Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University
- Meghan S. McAllister-Hayward
- Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory, Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University
- Hugh McColl
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen
- Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199
- Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Inga Bergmann
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Phonephanh Sichanthongtip
- Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
- Daovee Sihanam
- Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
- Souliphane Boualaphane
- Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
- Thonglith Luangkhoth
- Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
- Viengkeo Souksavatdy
- Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism
- Anthony Dosseto
- Wollongong Isotope Geochronology Laboratory, School of Earth, Atmospheric & Life Sciences, University of Wollongong
- Quentin Boesch
- Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre, Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg (IPGS), UMR 7516 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg
- Elise Patole-Edoumba
- Muséum d’Histoire naturelle de La Rochelle
- Françoise Aubaile
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Cité
- Françoise Crozier
- IRD, DIADE
- Eric Suzzoni
- Spitteurs Pan, Technical Cave Supervision and Exploration
- Sébastien Frangeul
- Spitteurs Pan, Technical Cave Supervision and Exploration
- Nicolas Bourgon
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Alexandra Zachwieja
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School
- Tyler E. Dunn
- Anatomical Sciences Education Center, Oregon Health & Sciences University
- Anne-Marie Bacon
- Université Paris Cité, BABEL CNRS UMR
- Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Laura Shackelford
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Fabrice Demeter
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38715-y
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 14,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 21
Abstract
Abstract The timing of the first arrival of Homo sapiens in East Asia from Africa and the degree to which they interbred with or replaced local archaic populations is controversial. Previous discoveries from Tam Pà Ling cave (Laos) identified H. sapiens in Southeast Asia by at least 46 kyr. We report on a recently discovered frontal bone (TPL 6) and tibial fragment (TPL 7) found in the deepest layers of TPL. Bayesian modeling of luminescence dating of sediments and U-series and combined U-series-ESR dating of mammalian teeth reveals a depositional sequence spanning ~86 kyr. TPL 6 confirms the presence of H. sapiens by 70 ± 3 kyr, and TPL 7 extends this range to 77 ± 9 kyr, supporting an early dispersal of H. sapiens into Southeast Asia. Geometric morphometric analyses of TPL 6 suggest descent from a gracile immigrant population rather than evolution from or admixture with local archaic populations.
