Publications by authors named "Thonglith Luangkhoth"
Article Synopsis
- Secure environmental contexts are key for understanding hominin behaviors and habitats, with the Tam Ngu Hao 2 (Cobra) Cave providing important insights into Denisovan life around 164-131 ka.
- The analysis reveals that while Denisovans were adapted to various landscapes, including forests and open areas, individuals from Cobra Cave primarily consumed resources from open forests and savannah despite nearby rainforests.
- Additionally, as local rainforest expanded around 130 ka, the study raises questions about how Denisovans adapted to these changes, contrasting with early Homo sapiens, who were more capable of exploiting rainforest resources.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Pleistocene presence of the genus Homo in continental Southeast Asia is primarily evidenced by a sparse stone tool record and rare human remains. Here we report a Middle Pleistocene hominin specimen from Laos, with the discovery of a molar from the Tam Ngu Hao 2 (Cobra Cave) limestone cave in the Annamite Mountains. The age of the fossil-bearing breccia ranges between 164-131 kyr, based on the Bayesian modelling of luminescence dating of the sedimentary matrix from which it was recovered, U-series dating of an overlying flowstone, and U-series-ESR dating of associated faunal teeth.
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- * Research focuses on analyzing zinc isotope ratios in the enamel of teeth to study the diet of ancient humans and local mammals, as typical nitrogen isotope analysis is hindered by poor fossil preservation in tropical climates.
- * Results show that the Homo sapiens individual had low enamel δZn values, indicating an omnivorous diet that included both plant and animal sources, highlighting the resource utilization from tropical rainforests by early modern humans.
The megalithic jar sites of Laos (often referred to as the Plain of Jars) remain one of Southeast Asia's most mysterious and least understood archaeological cultures. The sites, recently inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage, host hollowed stone jars, up to three metres in height, which appear scattered across the landscape, alone or clustered in groups of up to more than 400. Until now, it has not been possible to estimate when the jars were first placed on the landscape or from where the stone was sourced.
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