Jump directly to main navigation Jump directly to content Jump to sub navigation

Finding one's way in the rainforest

Human foragers of both sexes use the sun for finding direction from a very young age

How do human foragers find food or the way home in rainforests, where heavy vegetation limits visibility, without a map, compass, or smartphone? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, show that rainforest-dwelling Mbendjele BaYaka people from the Republic of Congo point to out-of-sight targets with high precision. Pointing accuracy was equally good in men and women; children’s performance improved when the sun was clearly visible in the sky.

pointing_tests.jpg
© Karline Janmaat