Beyond replication: Technological transmission and adaptive organization of modern human populations during the terminal Pleistocene at Fenghuangling, North China

Abstract

How technological knowledge is transmitted and transformed remains a central topic in human evolution and behavioral ecology. During the Last Glacial Maximum and the subsequent deglaciation, climatic instability and associated demographic shifts provide an ideal window for understanding these processes. To investigate the behavioral mechanisms of technological transmission, this study analyzes the lithic assemblage from the Fenghuangling site (19–15 ka BP) in North China. By combining three-dimensional geometric morphometrics, Gaussian mixture modeling, scar pattern analysis, and chaîne opératoire analysis, we systematically evaluated microblade core morphology, operational sequences, and raw material organizational strategies. Model-based geometric morphometrics revealed substantial morphological admixture between the Northern Microblade Industry and the boat-shaped core tradition of lower-latitude North China, demonstrating technological fusion rather than wholesale replication. While the volumetric concept of the Northern Microblade Industry was reproduced, complex and skill-intensive procedural stages were simplified—a pattern that is interpretable within the transmission-cost frameworks. Cortex and debitage analyses further revealed a three-tier raw material organizational structure incorporating curated personal toolkits and expedient flake production, reflecting deliberate raw material diversification in response to deglacial instability. These findings demonstrate that the technological diffusion was not a process of passive replacement but a dynamic mechanism involving selective knowledge transmission and local adaptation, offering novel perspectives on hunter-gatherer resilience during deglacial ecological restructuring.