Scientists find possible artefacts of oldest known Wallacean hominids in Indonesia
Archaeologists from Australia and Indonesia found the small, chipped tools, used to cut little animals and carve rocks, under the soil in the region of Soppeng in South Sulawesi. Radioactive tracing of these tools and the teeth of animals found around the site were dated at up to 1.48 million years ago.
The findings could transform theories of early human migrations, according to an article the archaeologists published in the journal Nature in August.
The earliest Wallacean humans, pre-historic persons known as Homo Erectus, were thought to have only settled in Indonesia's Flores island and Philippines' Luzon island around 1.02 million years ago, as they were thought to be incapable of distant sea travel, proving the significance of the Sulawesi findings in theories of migration.
'These were artefacts made by ancient humans who lived on the earth long before the evolution of our species, Homo Sapiens,' said Adam Brumm, lead archaeologist from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.
'We think Homo Erectus somehow got from the Asian mainland across a significant ocean gap to this island, Sulawesi, at least 1 million years ago," Brumm said.
Wallacea is a region in Eastern Indonesia including several islands such as Sulawesi, Lombok, Flores, Timor, Sumbawa that lie between Borneo and Java and Australia and New Guinea. The region is named for the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace who studied the fauna and flora of the area.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Rabbits are sprouting virus-induced "horns" in Colorado. Here's why scientists say there's no reason to panic.
A group of rabbits in Colorado with grotesque, hornlike growths may seem straight out of a low-budget horror film, but scientists say there's no reason to be spooked — the furry creatures merely have a relatively common virus. The cottontails recently spotted in Fort Collins are infected with the mostly harmless Shope papillomavirus, which causes wart-like growths that protrude from their faces like metastasizing horns. Viral photos have inspired a fluffle of unflattering nicknames, including "Frankenstein bunnies," "demon rabbits" and "zombie rabbits." But their affliction is nothing new, with the virus inspiring ancient folklore and fueling scientific research nearly 100 years ago. The virus likely influenced the centuries-old jackalope myth in North America, which told of a rabbit with antlers or horns, among other animal variations. The disease in rabbits also contributed to scientists' knowledge about the connection between viruses and cancer, such as the human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer. The virus in rabbits was named after Dr. Richard E Shope, a professor at The Rockefeller University who discovered the disease in cottontails in the 1930s. News about the rabbit sightings in Fort Collins, 65 miles north of Denver, started getting attention after residents started spotting them around town and posting pictures. "It looks like it was black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth," Susan Mansfield, a Fort Collins resident who saw one of the rabbits, told 9News. "I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn't. He came back a second year, and it grew." Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the agency has been getting calls about the rabbits seen in Fort Collins. But she said that it's not uncommon to see infected rabbits, especially in the summer, when the fleas and ticks that spread the virus are most active. The virus can spread from rabbit to rabbit but not to other species, including humans and pets, she said. Rabbit papilloma is similar to human HPV-induced tumors, according to an article in the National Library of Medicine, and human papillomavirus has been linked to skin cancer, according to a recent report. The growths resemble warts but can look like horns if they grow longer, Van Hoose said. The growths don't harm rabbits unless they grow on their eyes or mouths and interfere with eating. Rabbits' immune systems are able to fight the virus and, once they do, the growths will disappear, she said. The agency notes that the disease is more severe in domestic rabbits than in wild rabbits and should be treated by a veterinarian. Colorado is home to three different species of cottontail rabbits -- the mountain cottontail, the desert cottontail and the eastern cottontail. The species differ mostly by color and are "difficult or impossible to distinguish in the field, except by habitat and geographic location," Colorado Parks and Wildlife says.
Business Insider
2 hours ago
- Business Insider
A human species unknown to scientists has been discovered in East Africa's oldest country
The fossil dates back about 2.65 million years. The discovery, which was unearthed in the Afar Region's Ledi-Geraru region, provides fresh insight into a crucial and little-known phase of early human history. Ten teeth from two people were found in the discovery: six molars, two incisors, one premolar, and one canine. These were found to belong to a new species in the genus Australopithecus, which is a group of early human progenitors distinguished by a combination of human and ape-like traits. Only six species of Australopithecus have been discovered from fossil sites in Africa thus far. This is the genus's seventh recognized species. Adding to the significance, scientists discovered three more teeth in the same location that were dated to 2.59 million years ago and belonged to the oldest known species of Homo. This is the same early human species that was found in 2013 using a neighboring jawbone. Existence of different human species in Africa The age and location of these fossils point to a surprising overlap: this newly found Australopithecus species coexisted with early Homo in the same region, raising fascinating concerns regarding resource rivalry and ecological relationships. This cohabitation implies that about 2.6 million years ago, at least four separate hominin species lived in East Africa, including another Australopithecus species and a Paranthropus species specialized for intensive chewing. "This reinforces the idea that the story of human evolution is not of a single lineage changing slowly through time," said University of Nevada, Las Vegas paleoanthropologist Brian Villmoare, lead author of the research published on Wednesday in the journal Nature, opens new tab. "Rather, the pattern of human evolution is similar to that of other organisms, repeatedly branching into multiple species throughout the fossil record, many of whom lived at the same time," Villmoare added. By examining the 13 teeth, the researchers hope to get insight into the type of contact that may have occurred between the Australopithecus and Homo species, as reported by Reuters. "We are currently analyzing teeth to see if we can tell if they ate the same thing," said Arizona State University paleoecologist and project co-director Kaye Reed. The age of the fossils was estimated using argon dating on feldspar crystals found in volcanic ash layers in the sediment.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Snail's regenerating eye may unlock cure for human blindness
On August 6, 2025, researchers in California revealed how freshwater apple snails can regrow lost eyes. The study, published in Nature Communications, shows the process mirrors human eye anatomy and genetics. Scientists hope isolating the key genes could one day enable humans to regenerate damaged eyes.
