Skull fragments found in Spain point to previously unknown ancient humans
western Europe has a new oldest face: the facial bones of an adult nicknamed 'Pink' discovered in Spain are from a potential new member of the human family who lived more than 1.1 million years ago, scientists said Wednesday.
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Until now, the oldest-known human species in western Europe was the slender-faced Homo antecessor, dating back around 850,000 years.
But research published in the journal Nature 'introduces a new actor in the history of human evolution in Europe', lead study author Rosa Huguet of Spain's University of Rovira i Virgili told a press conference.
The fossilised upper jawbone and partial cheekbone of Pink were discovered at the Atapuerca archaeological site in northern Spain in 2022.
Scientists reconstructed the bone fragments using traditional conservation and restoration techniques with advanced imaging and 3D analysis tools. Photo: Maria D. Guillen/IPHES-CERCA via Reuters
Since then, a team of Spanish scientists have been working to find out more about Pink, whose nickname is a reference to prog rock band Pink Floyd.
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