Subscribe now

Humans

When did humans leave the trees for the savannah – or did they at all?

Ancient humans are said to have evolved to leave the trees, where our primate ancestors lived, in favour of open grassy savannahs – but we may have this idea wrong

By Michael Marshall

10 September 2024

KEPXDK Australopithecus family

Australopithecus family in a grassy forest

Historic Collection / Alamy

This is an extract from Our Human Story, our newsletter about the revolution in archaeology. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every month.

It’s a truism in human evolution that we came down from the trees and out into more open country like grassy savannahs. The open grasslands are supposed to be more favourable habitats for hominins like us. In contrast, dense tropical forests have been thought of as “hostile, unfavourable frontiers” that were “too hostile for humans throughout much of prehistory” (according to a 2022…

Article amended on 12 December 2024

We corrected the location of the Issa Valley

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers