Early presence of Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia by 86-68 kyr at Tam Pa Ling, Northern Laos

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 Pa 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 similar to 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.

Automated summary

This study reveals evidence of the early dispersal of Homo sapiens into Southeast Asia, based on the discovery of skeletal remains in Tam Pa Ling cave. The findings suggest that these skeletal remains may belong to a graceful immigrant population, rather than being derived from or mixed with local archaic populations.