Latest news with #Berghuis
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Evidence of Ancient Human Ancestors Found Underwater
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Fragments of a Homo erectus skull were among deposits of vertebrate fossils found when the Indonesian seafloor was being dredged for a construction project This is the first time fossils of this species have been found on the seafloor between the islands of Indonesia, and further investigation found that land bridges once connected the islands. Evidence of Homo erectus hunting bovine ancestors and extracting bone marrow was also discovered. During the glacial period that chilled the Earth 140,000 years ago, sea levels in the Indonesian region of Sundaland were low enough for present-day islands to tower like mountain ranges with a lowland savannah stretching between them. It was an expanse of mostly dry grasslands with strips of forest edging the rivers, and animals like crocodiles, river sharks, elephants, hippos, rhinos, and carnivorous lizards flourished in the region. Sundaland was also a paradise for early humans. Long thought to have been isolated on the island of Java, two fossil fragments of a Homo erectus skull—which surfaced with recent ocean dredging in preparation for the construction of an artificial island—revealed that this hominin species migrated and spread throughout the islands when they could still walk over bridges of land. Homo erectus was first discovered in Java (and was known as 'Java Man' until the species was officially renamed), but sossilized remains had never before been found on the seafloor between what are now the islands of Java, Bali, Sumatra and Borneo. Now that examples have been dredged up, however, Harold Berghuis—an archaeologist from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, who led the investigation —thinks Homo erectus took advantage of the now-drowned land, and likely settled near the riverbanks in the region. 'Under the relatively dry Middle Pleistocene climate of eastern Java, herds of herbivores and groups of hominins on the lowland plains were probably dependent on large perennial rivers, providing drinking water and terrestrial as well as aquatic food sources,' Berghuis said in a study recently published in Quaternary Environments and Humans. These human ancestors would have had plenty to take advantage of near these ancient rivers. Trees bore fruit all year, and the ancient hominins would have been able to gather edible plants in addition to catching fish and shellfish. They may have even used mussel shells as tools—the oldest known evidence of them being used for that purpose—and engraved some of them (the most ancient human engravings have been found on shells that previously turned up in Java). The new findings show that they also hunted river turtles and terrestrial animals. Bones of river turtles and bovine ancestors showed cut marks and breakages that suggested the consumption of both meat and bone marrow. More modern human species on the Asian mainland (such as Denisovans and Neanderthals) were already known to have hunted bovids, and while no evidence for this had been found on Java, the presence of these seafloor fossils could mean that hunting methods were transferred from one species to the other. There may have even been interbreeding. Land exposed by diminished sea levels also meant that animal species from the mainland—like the extinct Asian hippo and the endangered (but still-extant) Komodo dragon—could spread to the Indonesian islands. Homo erectus marked a significant shift in human evolution—they were the earliest hominids to bear more of a resemblance to modern humans, with larger bodies, longer legs, and shorter arms relative to their torso. More muscle mass meant that they could walk and run faster than earlier hominins, and were likely more adept hunters. An increase in body size is also associated with an increase in brain size, and skulls tell us that their brains were over 50% larger than those of early Australopithecus species (though the human brain would eventually evolve to be 40% larger than that by the time Homo sapiens appeared). 'The late Middle Pleistocene age of the site is of great interest in terms of hominin evolution, as this period is characterized by a great morphological diversity and mobility of hominin populations in the region,' Berghuis and his team said. When sea levels rose, the land bridges between the islands of Sundaland were submerged, but this dredging has given us an unprecedented window into the life of Homo erectus in Indonesia. You Might Also Like Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lead to Weight Loss? Bobbi Brown Shares Her Top Face-Transforming Makeup Tips for Women Over 50
NDTV
27-05-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Lost Civilisation Underwater? 140,000-Year-Old Homo Erectus Skull May Hold The Key To Secret
Scientists may have stumbled upon a hidden civilisation at the bottom of the ocean after they discovered the skull of Homo erectus, an ancient human ancestor. The skull was preserved beneath layers of silt and sand in the Madura Strait, between the islands of Java and Madura, in Indonesia, with researchers claiming that it was buried 140,000 years ago. The Homo erectus fossil was discovered in 2011 due to a large construction project in the Madura Strait. However, it wasn't until this month that scientists published the findings in the journal Quaternary Environments and Human. "This period is characterised by great morphological diversity and mobility of hominin populations in the region," said study lead author Harold Berghuis. The site could be the first physical evidence of the lost landmass known as Sundaland, which once connected Southeast Asia in a vast tropical plain. Apart from the skull, researchers also found 6,000 animal fossils of 36 species, including those of Komodo dragons, buffalo, deer, and elephant. Some of these animals had deliberate cut marks, suggesting that early humans may have practised hunting strategies on the land that is now underwater. "The Madura Strait hominins may have developed this hunting strategy independently. But the other possibility is that we are looking at a kind of cultural exchange," Mr Berghuis told LiveScience. Who were Homo erectus? The human family tree is complicated, but scientists are of the view that Homo erectus were the first early humans to resemble modern humans more closely. They were taller, had muscular bodies, longer legs and shorter arms. The study and its findings perhaps offer the first direct proof of the presence of Home erectus in the now-submerged Sundaland landscapes -- challenging earlier beliefs about the geographic limits of human's early ancestors. Notably, it was 14,000 and 7,000 years ago that melting glaciers caused sea levels to rise more than 120 meters, submerging the low-lying plains of Sundaland.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Underwater Fossils Surface to Reveal a Lost World of Archaic Humans
An artificial island of sand dredged from Indonesia's seafloor has accidentally revealed evidence of a long-lost sunken world, inhabited by early humans. Scattered across the newly created island, scientists have uncovered more than 6,700 fossils of fish, reptiles, and mammals dredged from the deep, including the remains of two hominin skulls. This is the first discovery of ancient human fossils between the islands of Indonesia. The bones belong to Homo erectus – the longest surviving of all our human relatives. Until now, the only evidence of H. erectus in the region was confined to the island of Java. But as it turns out, this population was not so isolated after all. More than 130,000 years ago, when sea levels were 100 meters (328 feet) lower than today, it seems that H. erectus left the island of Java and lived among the valleys and plains of sunken 'Sundaland'. Sunda is the name for the largest drowned shelf in the world, and while it is now a shallow sea, in the past, it was occasionally a land bridge between the Asian mainland and the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, and Java. This means that H. erectus may have even come into contact with other human species living in Asia at the time, like Neanderthals or Denisovans. "Homo erectus could disperse from the Asian mainland to Java," says lead author and archaeologist Harry Berghuis from Leiden University in the Netherlands. "This makes our discoveries truly unique. The fossils come from a drowned river valley, which filled up over time with river sand. We have been able to date the material to approximately 140,000 years ago." At that time, experts suspect Sundaland resembled the African savannah. The fossils found on the artificial island included hippos, crocodiles, elephants, Komodo dragons, rhinos, big cats, and hoofed, ruminant animals, similar to bison or buffalo. Most are now extinct. Given the dry habitat of this prehistoric ecosystem, it is likely that H. erectus stuck to the rivers in Sundaland, which would have provided a perennial source of drinking water and fish. Experts suspect the hominin may have also taken advantage of large game that visited the waters. "Among our new finds are cut marks on the bones of water turtles and large numbers of broken bovid bones, which point to hunting and consumption of bone marrow," says Berghuis. "We didn't find this in the earlier Homo erectus population on Java, but do know it from more modern human species of the Asian mainland. Homo erectus may have copied this practice from these populations. This suggests there may have been contact between these hominin groups, or even genetic exchange." That's an interesting hypothesis, but further evidence is necessary. Past fossil finds on Java have led scientists to believe this island was the last stronghold for H. erectus – a hominin that journeyed out of Africa and across Asia in a decidedly impressive two-million-year run. By 400,000 years ago, however, H. erectus had gone extinct in Asia and Africa. Yet the species persisted on Java until around 108,000 years ago. It's a big win pulling the remains of H. erectus from the seabed off the coast of Java, but the fossils were found between a small and narrow strait separating two islands. How much further afield H. erectus travelled from Java is a mystery. "The answers may very well be at the bottom of the sea," write the authors. The research was published in four installments in Quaternary Environments and Humans here, here, here, and here. Scientists Discovered a Hidden Clue Why Men Are Taller Than Women Being Bored Could Actually Be Good For Your Brain, Scientists Reveal Couples Who Cuddle at Bedtime Have Lower Stress And Feel More Secure
Metro
26-05-2025
- Science
- Metro
Mystery of ancient land could have been solved by 140,000-year-old human skull
A prehistoric human skull and fossils found in the sea could reveal the secrets of an ancient lost land teeming with venomous Komodo dragons. The fragments of Homo erectus 's skull were discovered buried in a since-disappeared land in Indonesia. The bone pieces were found by accident among thousands of animal fossils when tonnes of sand and stones were dredged up off the seafloor of the Madura Strait between Java and Madura island. Marks found on the fossils suggest that the Homo erectus might have used a hunting strategy copied from its more modern human relatives, signalling a further overlap and interaction between the two human species. The Homo erectus skull was buried 140,000 years ago, and it could be the first evidence of the prehistoric landmass known as Sundaland, Live Science reports. The bombshell discovery, published last week in the Quaternary Environments and Human journal, reveals how a previously unknown Homo erectus population may have interacted with more humans across the strip of land, which connected the islands. The fossil markings suggest that the Homo erectus in the area were targeting a prehistoric, cow-like animal in a way the species isn't usually known for, suggesting the strategy was copied from humans on the Asia mainland. The findings suggest that early humans lived side-by-side with the Komodo dragons, which have a poisonous bite and are capable of killing large mammals. Harold Berghuis, the lead author of the study at the University of Leiden, Netherlands, told Live Science: 'The Madura Strait hominins may have developed this hunting strategy independently. 'But the other possibility is that we are looking at a kind of cultural exchange.' After sifting through the debris, the researchers found more than 6,000 animal fossils – the first time fossils have been found from the submerged Sundaland. The area used to look very different when human ancestors walked and hunted in the area during the last Ice Age. Sundaland was the home to elephants, the elephant-like extinct Stegodon and water buffalo, while its rivers were teeming with fish, turtles, river sharks and hippos, the fossils show. The researchers identified 36 different species among the over 6,000 fossils, including Komodo dragons, which could have been 'the most important predators' in Sundaland, Berghuis said. But the pre-historic human remains could have been lost forever when a massive construction project started in the strait to create an artificial island. Diggers pulled up around 177 million cubic feet of sand and sandstones near Surabaya between 2014 and 2015, which was then used the create the island. Berghuis then spent weeks on his hands and knees searching for any human-linked fossils. He finally hit the jackpot on his last day at the site. He said: 'It was already getting dark and I sat down to enjoy [the] sunset. More Trending 'And then, right beside me, lay this fossil that reminded me so much of the only Dutch Neanderthal. This is a well-known fossil in my country, dredged from the North Sea.' The human predecessor was the first to develop a humanlike body and leave the African continent for Asia and Europe during its 2 million-year existence. As its name suggests, Homo erectus walked upright, although the teeth were larger and the brain smaller than in modern humans. Homo erectus is thought to be the first human species to have used fire around 1 million years ago. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Scientists discover 1,40,000-year-old human bone fossils under the sea
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. ' 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.
