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Oldest Fossil of Human Ancestor Found in Europe
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findingDulcinea Staff
The remains, estimated to be over 1 million years old, shed light on how early humans migrated from their evolutionary birthplace in Africa.
30-Second Summary
The scientists found a jawbone and teeth of early human ancestors, estimated at between 1.1 and 1.2 million years old, in the fossil-rich caves of Atapuerca, located in northern Spain.
The small size of the fossils suggest they belonged to a woman, researchers said. Also found were stone tools and animal bones with tell-tale cut marks from butchering.
The new find, dubbed “Pioneer Man,” represents the oldest reliably dated evidence of human occupation in Europe, and is a clue to early human origins.
"What we have are the European descendents of the first migration out of Africa," Spanish archaeologist Marina Mosquera told the BBC.
The oldest known human remains, 200,000 year-old skulls, were discovered in Ethiopia.
The newly discovered Atapuerca fossils belong to an early subset of the human family known as “hominins,” defined as “early human or pre-human beings.” Anatomical features in the fossils link them to older finds in Georgia, which are among the first human remains ever found outside of Africa.
That finding provides new evidence about the route of ancient human migration, suggesting that the earliest European settlers came from the east.
"In terms of European prehistory, this [find] is very significant," Chris Stringer of London's Natural History Museum told the BBC.
The small size of the fossils suggest they belonged to a woman, researchers said. Also found were stone tools and animal bones with tell-tale cut marks from butchering.
The new find, dubbed “Pioneer Man,” represents the oldest reliably dated evidence of human occupation in Europe, and is a clue to early human origins.
"What we have are the European descendents of the first migration out of Africa," Spanish archaeologist Marina Mosquera told the BBC.
The oldest known human remains, 200,000 year-old skulls, were discovered in Ethiopia.
The newly discovered Atapuerca fossils belong to an early subset of the human family known as “hominins,” defined as “early human or pre-human beings.” Anatomical features in the fossils link them to older finds in Georgia, which are among the first human remains ever found outside of Africa.
That finding provides new evidence about the route of ancient human migration, suggesting that the earliest European settlers came from the east.
"In terms of European prehistory, this [find] is very significant," Chris Stringer of London's Natural History Museum told the BBC.
Headline Link: ‘Spain Dig Yields Ancient European’
The newly discovered fossils include part of a human lower jawbone with the remains of seven teeth in place. The new find is significant because the dating of the earliest human inhabitation in Europe has been controversial, reports the BBC. “The earliest hominins outside Africa are those from Dmanisi in Georgia. After that, we have occupations in Europe, but the ages are not very precise. They are also without hominin [remains]," said Dr. Marina Mosquera, a co-author on the Spain finding from the Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona, Spain.
Source: The BBC
Related Topic: Ethiopia yields oldest human fossils
The oldest human remains were discovered in Ethiopia by a team of archeologists in 1967, and were originally estimated to be only about 130,000 years old. In 2005, more sophisticated dating techniques put the human skulls at about 200,000 years, confirming that they are the oldest known human fossils.
Source: Voice of America
Background: The Georgian hominins
The remains of the earliest members of the Homo genus to be found outside of humans’ evolutionary birthplace in Africa died in what is now the Republic of Georgia nearly 1.8 million years ago, LiveScience reported in September 2007. Cranium specimens were first found in the region in the 1990s, but the discovery of partial skeletons in 2007 helped fill in the gaps.
Source: LiveScience
Reference: The rich labyrinth of Atapuercan caves, how fossils form
The complex system of caves at Atapuerca, in northern Spain, served as a shelter for humans and animals for nearly one million years and have provided archaeologists with an excellent fossil record. Atapuerca.com offers a history of the region, news, pictures and interactive maps. The site provides reports in both English and Spanish about the work of its team of 25 scientists and their “ground-breaking research.”
Source: Atapuerca.com
The American Museum of Natural History Web site has a section devoted to Atapuerca, highlighting an exhibit at the museum, “The First Europeans: Treasures From the Hills of Atapuerca.” According to the site, researchers have unearthed a group of 800,000-year-old human fossils in one of the caves, unlike other fossils found in Africa, Asia or Europe. These hominids have been classified as a new species, Homo antecessor.
Source: The American Museum of Natural History
PBS describes the process of fossilization in its Evolution Library: “Buried bone and shell contain tiny air spaces into which water can seep, depositing minerals. Reinforced by these mineral deposits, bone and shell can survive for millions of years. Even if the bone or shell dissolves, the mineral deposits in the shape of the body structure remain.”
Source: PBS
The Archeological Institute of America defines hominins as “early human or pre-human beings” and offers information about the evolution of the human family.
Source: The Archeological Institute of America
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