A new study suggests that early hominin dispersals beyond Africa did not involve adaptations to environmental extremes, such as to arid and harsh deserts. The discovery of stone tools and cut-marks on fossil animal remains at the site of Ti's al Ghadah provides evidence for hominins in Saudi Arabia at least 100,000 years earlier than previously known. Stable isotope analysis indicates a dominance of grassland vegetation at the site, similar to other early hominin environments.