Study of Cave Conditions Offers Clues to Early Modern Humans in Southeast Asia

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA—Cosmos Magazine reports that researchers led by Vito Hernandez of Flinders University are reconstructing the environment of Tam Pà Ling cave in northeastern Laos between 52,000 and 10,000 years ago. Human fossils unearthed deep within the cave during previous investigations were determined to have been deposited between 86,000 and 30,000 years ago. But how did the fossils end up in the cave? “Using a technique known as microstratigraphy at the Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory, we were able to reconstruct the cave conditions in the past and identify traces of human activities in and around Tam Pà Ling,” Hernandez said. The study indicates that the interior of the cave fluctuated between dry and wet conditions. Fossilized bones of early modern humans recovered from the cave were likely washed inside with loose sediments from surrounding hillsides during periods of heavy rainfall, explained Mike Morely of Flinders University. Traces of charcoal in the soil may be the result of forest fires in the region, or the use of fire near the cave entrance by visiting humans, he added. For more on the cave, go to "Around the World: Laos."