Scientists discover 1,40,000-year-old human bone fossils under the sea

Time of India

23-05-2025

Southeast Asia has always been considered a crucial crossroads for early humans, giving out clues for the existence of early humans, and this time ancient fossils from the early humans have been found beneath the ocean floor.
As sea levels rose following the last ice age, huge regions that were once rich with life and human activity got submerged, hiding secrets that modern science is now beginning to find out. These lost lands used to be a part of what is called 'Sundaland' by the researchers.
Recently discovered fossils have found bones from an unknown group of Homo erectus, an extinct human ancestor, inhabiting these now-submerged areas.
The discovery tells about how early humans lived, hunted, and possibly interacted with more modern human relatives in this biodiverse region.
Fossils have been discovered beneath the ocean
Bones from Homo erectus have been recovered from the seafloor near the Indonesian island of Java, revealing a previously unknown population of this ancient human ancestor. The fossils were found during a construction project that dredged millions of cubic meters of sediment from the Madura Strait, a body of water separating Java from the smaller island of Madura.
This area was once part of Sundaland, a vast expanse of fertile plains and rivers that existed during periods of lower sea levels around 140,000 years ago.
Research on these fossils have found that the submerged lands also supported varied forms of ecosystems, includoing with fish, turtles, river sharks, hippos, and large terrestrial animals such as elephants and the now-extinct Stegodon. The discovery of Homo erectus fossils in this region confirms that these early humans survived in such rich environments, using the natural resources available.
Fossils also provide evidence of early hunting strategies
Researchers found cut marks on some animal fossils, indicating that the Madura Strait hominids hunted turtles and large bovids. Interestingly, this is also the first evidence of turtle hunting in Southeast Asia.
The selective hunting of cow-like animals means well organised strategy that could possibly be commonly associated with modern humans on the Asian mainland. As reported by Live Science, 'The Madura Strait hominins may have developed this hunting strategy independently,' said Harold Berghuis, lead author and researcher at Leiden University.
'But the other possibility is that we are looking at a kind of cultural exchange.
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This also leads to the possibility that the early Homo erectus populations were not isolated but may have learned from or interacted with other human relatives in the region.
What do the fossils include?
The fossils recovered include over 6,000 animal remains from 36 species, ranging from Komodo dragons to hippos. Komodo dragons, now endangered and limited to a few Indonesian islands, might once have been the dominant predators of Sundaland's open plains.
'Komodo dragons may have been the most important predators,' Berghuis said.
Berghuis, working as a geotechnical consultant, spent weeks searching through the sediment and was surprised to find the first Homo erectus skull fragment on his final day. Comparing it to the famous Dutch Neanderthal fossil, he recognized distinctive features confirming its significance.
Who are the Homo Erectus?
Homo erectus, emerging over 2 million years ago, was the first human species to migrate out of Africa and establish populations across Asia, including Java. They survived on the island until 117,000 to 108,000 years ago. Later, more modern humans, including Denisovans and Neanderthals, replaced or coexisted with H. erectus on the mainland.