Animals, not drought, shaped our ancestors’ environment.
The shores of Lake Turkana, in Kenya, are dry and inhospitable, with grasses as the dominant plant type.
Over the last four million years, the Omo-Turkana basin has seen a range of climates and ecosystems, and has also seen significant steps in human evolution.
It’s tough to prove that hypothesis, however, because of the difficulty of reconstructing four million years of climate data.
Researchers from the University of Utah have found a better way.
The results show that, unexpectedly, no long-term drying trend was associated with the expansion of grasses and grazing herbivores.
Story Source: Materials provided by University of Utah.
Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference: Scott A. Blumenthal, Naomi E. Levin, Francis H. Brown, Jean-Philip Brugal, Kendra L. Chritz, John M. Harris, Glynis E. Jehle, Thure E. Cerling.
Aridity and hominin environments.