article_snippet: Now scientists have discovered that humans may have first begun living in the rainforest around 20,000 years ago - 12,000 years earlier than was thought.
article_snippet: Scientists have discovered that humans may have first begun living in the rainforest around 20,000 years ago - 12,000 years earlier than was thought.
article_snippet: Researchers at Oxford University also notes that there are hints that humans may even have occupied rainforests around 45,000 years ago.
article_snippet: The findings contradict the idea that tropical rainforests were largely human-free environments until around 8,000 years ago.
article_snippet: The areas where they were excavated from are all now dense rainforest
article_snippet: the study also notes that there are hints that humans may even have occupied rainforests around 45,000 years ago.
article_snippet: The findings contradict the idea that such rainforests were largely human-free until 8,000 years ago .
highlights_snippet: This means humans lived in rainforests 12,000 years earlier than thought .
  
highlights_snippet: Rainforests were largely thought to be human free until 8,000 years ago .