Вход на сайт

Просмотр новости

Найдите то, что Вас интересует

Archaeologists find million-year-old fossil of a human ancestor

Дата публикации: 13-03-2025 05:43:35

WASHINGTON — A fossil of a partial face from a human ancestor is the oldest in western Europe, archaeologists reported Wednesday.
The incomplete skull — a section of the left cheek bone and upper jaw – was found in northern Spain in 2022. The fossil is between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years old, according to research published in the journal Nature.
"The fossil is exciting," said Eric Delson, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History, who was not involved in the study. "It's the first time we have significant remains older than 1 million years old in western Europe."
A collection of older fossils from early human ancestors was previously found in Georgia, near the crossroads of eastern Europe and Asia. Those are estimated to be 1.8 million years old.
The Spanish fossil is the first evidence that clearly shows human ancestors "were taking excursions into Europe" at that time, said Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program.
But there is not yet evidence that the earliest arrivals persisted there long, he said. "They may get to a new location and then die out," said Potts, who had no role in the study.
The partial skull bears many similarities to Homo erectus, but there are also some anatomical differences, said study co-author Rosa Huguet, an archaeologist at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in Tarragona, Spain.
Homo erectus arose around 2 million years ago and moved from Africa to regions of Asia and Europe, with the last individuals dying out around 100,000 years ago, said Potts.
It can be challenging to identify which group of early humans a fossil find belongs to if there's only a single fragment versus many bones that show a range of features, said University of Zurich paleoanthropologist Christoph Zollikofer, who was not involved in the study.
The same cave complex in Spain's Atapuerca Mountains where the new fossil was found also previously yielded other significant clues to the ancient human past. Researchers working in the region have also found more recent fossils from Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens.


Основное содержимое страницы с новостью.

WASHINGTON — 

A fossil of a partial face from a human ancestor is the oldest in western Europe, archaeologists reported Wednesday.

The incomplete skull — a section of the left cheek bone and upper jaw – was found in northern Spain in 2022. The fossil is between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years old, according to research published in the journal Nature.

"The fossil is exciting," said Eric Delson, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History, who was not involved in the study. "It's the first time we have significant remains older than 1 million years old in western Europe."

A collection of older fossils from early human ancestors was previously found in Georgia, near the crossroads of eastern Europe and Asia. Those are estimated to be 1.8 million years old.

The Spanish fossil is the first evidence that clearly shows human ancestors "were taking excursions into Europe" at that time, said Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program.

But there is not yet evidence that the earliest arrivals persisted there long, he said. "They may get to a new location and then die out," said Potts, who had no role in the study.

The partial skull bears many similarities to Homo erectus, but there are also some anatomical differences, said study co-author Rosa Huguet, an archaeologist at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in Tarragona, Spain.

Homo erectus arose around 2 million years ago and moved from Africa to regions of Asia and Europe, with the last individuals dying out around 100,000 years ago, said Potts.

It can be challenging to identify which group of early humans a fossil find belongs to if there's only a single fragment versus many bones that show a range of features, said University of Zurich paleoanthropologist Christoph Zollikofer, who was not involved in the study.

The same cave complex in Spain's Atapuerca Mountains where the new fossil was found also previously yielded other significant clues to the ancient human past. Researchers working in the region have also found more recent fossils from Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens.

This item is part of

Схожие новости

#Наименование новостиТональностьИнформативностьДата публикации
1ревние люди ели не только детей: находка в пещере раскрыла детали каннибализма015.6231-07-2026
2研究鑑定西歐最古老人類祖先化石 距今 110 萬至 140 萬年027.1914-03-2025
3Ancient ape fossil in Egypt challenges the story of human origins06.1924-07-2026
4Teeth smaller than a fingertip reveal our first primate ancestor011.8730-06-2026
5Bataklık Tuzağında 1,4 Milyon Yıllık İnsan Aktivitesi Keşfedildi013.5421-08-2024
6Story of human evolution rewritten as new evidence reveals a far more complex origin0707-07-2026
7Ученые утверждают, что нашли в Эфиопии древнейший череп предка современного человека0029-08-2019
8Как эволюционировал человек? 🧬 Эволюция человека — это история длиной ...5709-07-2026
9İspanya’da 850.000 Yıl Önce Yamyamlık Yapılıyordu013.3130-07-2026
10В Кении нашли следы крупного предка человека возрастом 1,4 миллиона лет010.3529-07-2026

Классификация: . Схожих патентов: 0. Схожих новостей: 10. Тональность: 0. Информативность: 7.44. Источник: www.voanews.com.