1.4 Million-Year-Old Fossil Hints Modern Human Faces Were Present Earlier Than Thought

[Judi Lynn]

By Jennifer Nalewicki published 2 days ago


An ancient upper jawbone discovered in Spain reveals the unique facial features of an individual who may be the oldest known ancient human relative in Europe.

A team of paleoanthropologists unearthed the fossil in June at Sima del Elefante (Spanish for "Pit of the Elephant" ), an archeological site in the Atapuerca Mountains near the city of Burgos in northern Spain that's known for its rich fossil record. The fragmented skull is believed to be the oldest of its kind ever found in Europe and includes part of the upper jawbone (maxilla) and a tooth of a hominid who lived approximately 1.4 million years ago, the researchers said in a translated statement(opens in new tab). The hominid group includes all living and extinct members of the human and great ape family tree, including humans and our early human relatives, as well as chimpanzees and gorillas, according to The Australian Museum(opens in new tab).

Prior to this discovery, the earliest known hominid fossils unearthed in Europe (found at Sima del Elefante in 2008) were dated to 1.2 million years ago. That find included a portion of a mandible, or the lower jawbone, and several bone fragments, according to a 2012 study published in the British Dental Journal(opens in new tab).

The most recent discovery came as a surprise to researchers, who weren't expecting to find fossils that were older than those already uncovered at the site.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/ancient-jawbone-hominid-spain

[Haggard Celine]

1. It's odd, but they seem to be pushing the dawn of man

back further and further, and oddly enough the further they go back, the more they look like us. Something to reflect on.

[Lovie777]

2. Well you have 3.6 million years ago - Little Foot; and.......

3.2 million years ago - Lucy.

South Africa for Little Foot and Ethiopia for Lucy.

3.6 and 3.2 million years ago to 1.4 million of years ago where some offspring's traveled to other parts of the world while evolution was kicking in.

[Warpy]

3. Then there's Orrorin tugenensis

that has been dated several different ways to 6.2 to 5.8 million years ago, around the time our DNA says a common ancestor split into what would become us and what would be chimpanzees and bonobos. Orrorin seems to have erred on the side of humanity, a largely tree dwelling creature who walked fully upright on the forest floor instead of the hybrid movements of chimps and bonobos. We have yet to find that elusive common ancestor.

Even modern humans have been pushed back a bit, 300,000 year old remains have been found in Morocco, far outside the supposed range of our earliest ancestors and 100,000 years older than the others.

Research into this stuff is proceeding at a dizzying pace.