Latest news with #Homoaffiniserectus
Telegraph
12-03-2025
- Science
- Telegraph
Scientists discover new species of early human
Face bones from the oldest human ever discovered have been found in western Europe – and they belong to a species that archaeologists did not know existed. An adult jaw and cheekbone dating between 1.1 and 1.4 million years ago were found in a cave at the Sierra de Atapuerca in northern Spain. Experts originally thought that the fossilised fragments belonged to the species Homo antecessor – an extinct early human known to have inhabited the area about 860,000 years ago. But the face shape was found to be more primitive, resembling Homo erectus, a far earlier species that arrived in south-eastern Europe about 1.8 million years ago. The fossil, provisionally classified as Homo affinis erectus, is the earliest hominid found so far in Western Europe. Dr Rosa Huguet, of the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution, said: 'This study introduces a new actor in the story of human evolution in Europe. 'During the early Pleistocene more than one human species lived in Europe and the first hominid was not antecessor as we previously believed.' The dispersed facial fragments were discovered in 2022 at the Sima del Elefante cave complex in Atapuerca, but it has taken until now for researchers to piece them back together and understand their origin. Dr Maria Martinon Torres, an honorary professor of anthropology at University College London and the director of the Spanish National Research Centre for Human Evolution, said: 'Our discovery proves that at least two different species of human populated Western Europe during the Pleistocene era and it provides fascinating insight into the evolution of the genus Homo. 'The evidence is still insufficient for a definitive classification, which is why it has been assigned to H. aff. Erectus [Homo affinis erectus]. 'We are documenting for the first time a hominid population that we did not know we had in Europe. The density of hominid populations in Europe is so low that the evidence of finding habitation is quite extraordinary.' The early humans lived in a 'humid forest landscape' peppered with wooded areas, wet grasslands and seasonal water sources, which would have provided rich hunting grounds and abundant plant life. Fossilised pollen remains suggested Mediterranean-like plants and bones of hippopotamus, pigs and horses were discovered. Although the human remains were found inside the caves, the animals and tools were found outside, leading experts to think they spent most of their time in the open air. Archaeologists believe that the bones may have been carried inside by water or gravity after death. As well as the bones, archaeologists uncovered stone tools and animal remains with cut marks, showing that the early humans were adept at butchery. About 6,000 bone fragments, ranging from aurochs to beavers were uncovered at the site. Dr Xosé Pedro Rodríguez-Álvarez, a specialist in lithic industries, said: 'Although the quartz and flint tools found are simple, they suggest an effective subsistence strategy and highlight the hominins' ability to exploit the resources available in their environment.' The team is planning to further study the bones to try to pin down the species and even find out if the remains were male or female. Dr Eudald Carbonell, the co-director of the Atapuerca Project, said: 'The discovery of evidence for different hominin populations in Western Europe during the early Pleistocene suggests that this region was a key point in the evolutionary history of the genus Homo.' The findings were published in Nature.
Washington Post
12-03-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
Fragments of a face more than a million years old found in Spanish cave
Researchers have determined that fossilized bone fragments found in a cave in the Sierra de Atapuerca mountains of Northern Spain come from the earliest known face in Western Europe, which belonged to a hominin estimated to be 1.1 million to 1.4 million years old, archaeologists reported Wednesday. Discovered in 2022, the portions of the left side of an adult face belong to a hominin dubbed 'Pink' after the rock band Pink Floyd. The bones from Pink significantly predate those of Homo antecessor, the oldest hominin species previously found at the site, according to the authors of a study in the journal Nature. Hominins are the group consisting of modern humans, extinct human species and all our immediate ancestors. 'This paper introduces a new actor in the story of human evolution in Europe,' Rosa Huguet, one of the authors of the Nature study, said at a news conference announcing the results of two years of research into the facial fragments. Pink appears not to fit neatly into the known hominin species, and has been classified for now as Homo affinis erectus, meaning closely related to Homo erectus, Latin for 'upright man.' 'Homo antecessor shares with Homo sapiens a more modern looking face and a prominent nasal bone structure, whereas Pink's facial features are more primitive, resembling Homo erectus, particularly in its flat and underdeveloped nasal structure,' explained María Martinón-Torres, another of the authors, and director of the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (National Research Center on Human Evolution) in Burgos, Spain. Martinón-Torres said the designation Homo affinis erectus, 'leaves open the possibility that [Pink] may belong to another species.' The Atapuerca archeological site, first discovered during construction of a railway trench cut into limestone at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, has been systematically excavated since 1978, revealing ancient human skulls and some of the earliest evidence of cannibalism ever found. Pink's remains were uncovered in a cave on the site called Sima del Elefante, Spanish for 'Pit of the Elephant.' At the same level of the cave, researchers uncovered stone tools and animal remains with cut marks. Homo affinis erectus occupied a humid forest landscape with water coursing through the area near the cave, Huguet said. 'It was a wetter, more temperate climate than now.' John Hawks, chairman of the department of anthropology at University of Wisconsin-Madison who was not involved in the study, called it a 'really cool paper.' He added: 'It's always great to see a new fossil of course, but in this case the fossil helps add something to our knowledge of how some of the first human relatives in Europe were connected to other places.' Comparisons in the paper, Hawks said, all support the idea that the latest hominin found in the Sima del Elefante 'was a kind of relative of Homo erectus fossils found much further to the east, as far as Indonesia, as well as in their first homeland of Africa.' The discovery of evidence that different hominin populations occupied Western Europe during the early Pleistocene epoch 'suggests that this region was a key point in the evolutionary history of the genus Homo,' said Eudald Carbonell, another author of the Nature paper and co-director of the Atapuerca Project, which examines human evolution based on evidence found primarily at the site. The early Pleistocene epoch extends from about 2.6 million years ago to 781,000 years ago. Martinón-Torres said Pink occupied an evolutionary space between the oldest known hominins found in South Africa — estimated to be 3.4 million to 3.7 million years old — and Homo antecessor, which is approximately about 860,000 years old. She said 'most of the evidence' reinforces the theory that the hominins found in Atapuerca came to Spain from Eastern Europe. The discoveries detailed in Nature represent the efforts of a large multidisciplinary team and dozens of workers who extracted several tons of sediment at the site. The research team has more fieldwork to do, including the excavation of lower levels of Sima del Elefante, said Martinón-Torres. 'So who knows, we may have more surprises,' she said.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Spanish fossils may represent unknown ancient human species
By Will Dunham (Reuters) - Scientists have unearthed in Spain fossilized facial bones roughly 1.1 million to 1.4 million years old that may represent a previously unknown species in the human evolutionary lineage - a discovery that rewrites humankind's early history in Europe. The fossils from the Sima del Elefante cave site near the city of Burgos comprise fragments spanning 80 percent of the left side of an adult individual's middle face, including parts of the cheekbone and upper jaw with the nasal structure. They are among the oldest-known human fossils from Europe. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The researchers nicknamed the fossil "Pink," honoring the band Pink Floyd. Pink's facial anatomy was more primitive than that of Homo antecessor, a species known to have inhabited Western Europe roughly 850,000 years ago whose slender midface resembled modern people. Pink possessed a more projected and massive midface than Homo antecessor, and displayed some similarities to - but also differences with - Homo erectus, thought to be the first human species to have migrated out of Africa. The researchers said the fossils were not complete enough to conclude that Pink belonged to a yet-unnamed ancient human species but said this was a real possibility. They assigned the fossil the provisional name Homo affinis erectus in recognition of its affinities to certain Homo erectus traits. "These findings open a new line of research in the study of human evolution in Europe, as they introduce a new player in the early occupation of Europe," said archaeologist Rosa Huguet of the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA) in Spain, lead author of the study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. "When we have more fossil remains, we will be able to say more about this species," Huguet said. Our species Homo sapiens did not appear until roughly 300,000 years ago in Africa, later migrating worldwide, including into Europe. Homo erectus first appeared in Africa roughly 1.9 million years ago, with body proportions similar to modern people. Homo antecessor also had modern body proportions as well as modern-looking facial anatomy. Pink's midface resembles Homo erectus with its flat and underdeveloped nasal structure, unlike the prominent nasal bone structure of Homo antecessor and Homo sapiens. "Homo antecessor has a modern-like midface, very similar to that of Homo sapiens. In contrast, the midface found at the Sima del Elefante site has a combination of features shared with Homo erectus and others that are derived and not present in Homo erectus," said paleoanthropologist and study senior author José María Bermúdez de Castro Risueño, co-director of the Atapuerca Project focused on human evolution. Little is known about Europe's earliest human residents. There are fossils commonly attributed to Homo erectus dating to 1.8 million years ago at a Caucasus site in Georgia called Dmanisi on the fringes of Europe. There also are stone tools dating to 1.4 million years ago from western Ukraine, and bones with cut marks, suggesting the use of stone tools to butcher animal carcasses, dating to 1.95 million years ago from Romania. At the Sima del Elefante site, researchers previously recovered a jawbone fragment estimated at 1.2 million years old, though the species was undetermined. The Pink fossils found in 2022 were recovered in a deeper - thus older - layer at the same site. A child's molar dating to approximately the same time is known from a site near Granada in Spain, with the species also unclear. "There are very few sites with human fossils corresponding to the first settlers of Europe," said archaeologist and study co-author Xosé Pedro Rodríguez-Álvarez of the University of Rovira I Virgili in Spain. Pink is older than any known Homo antecessor remains. And Pink's species, according to the researchers, may belong to a population that reached Europe during a migration predating that of Homo antecessor. "We do not know if they could have coexisted for a short period of time or if they never lived together," Huguet said. Discovered nearby Pink were simple quartz and flint tools and animal bones with cut marks indicating butchery. The researchers have not been able to reconstruct Pink's full face because of the incompleteness of the fossils. Diligent work was needed to assemble the fragments to reveal the midface, combining traditional conservation and restoration methods with sophisticated imaging and 3D analysis. Pink's gender remains unclear. "There are many questions to be answered, and this find helps to write a new page in the history of human evolution," Bermúdez de Castro said.
Reuters
12-03-2025
- Science
- Reuters
Spanish fossils may represent unknown ancient human species
March 12 (Reuters) - Scientists have unearthed in Spain fossilized facial bones roughly 1.1 million to 1.4 million years old that may represent a previously unknown species in the human evolutionary lineage - a discovery that rewrites humankind's early history in Europe. The fossils from the Sima del Elefante cave site near the city of Burgos comprise fragments spanning 80 percent of the left side of an adult individual's middle face, including parts of the cheekbone and upper jaw with the nasal structure. They are among the oldest-known human fossils from Europe. The researchers nicknamed the fossil "Pink," honoring the band Pink Floyd. Pink's facial anatomy was more primitive than that of Homo antecessor, a species known to have inhabited Western Europe roughly 850,000 years ago whose slender midface resembled modern people. Pink possessed a more projected and massive midface than Homo antecessor, and displayed some similarities to - but also differences with - Homo erectus, thought to be the first human species to have migrated out of Africa. The researchers said the fossils were not complete enough to conclude that Pink belonged to a yet-unnamed ancient human species but said this was a real possibility. They assigned the fossil the provisional name Homo affinis erectus in recognition of its affinities to certain Homo erectus traits. "These findings open a new line of research in the study of human evolution in Europe, as they introduce a new player in the early occupation of Europe," said archaeologist Rosa Huguet of the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA) in Spain, lead author of the study published on Wednesday in the journal Nature, opens new tab. "When we have more fossil remains, we will be able to say more about this species," Huguet said. Our species Homo sapiens did not appear until roughly 300,000 years ago in Africa, later migrating worldwide, including into Europe. Homo erectus first appeared in Africa roughly 1.9 million years ago, with body proportions similar to modern people. Homo antecessor also had modern body proportions as well as modern-looking facial anatomy. Pink's midface resembles Homo erectus with its flat and underdeveloped nasal structure, unlike the prominent nasal bone structure of Homo antecessor and Homo sapiens. "Homo antecessor has a modern-like midface, very similar to that of Homo sapiens. In contrast, the midface found at the Sima del Elefante site has a combination of features shared with Homo erectus and others that are derived and not present in Homo erectus," said paleoanthropologist and study senior author José María Bermúdez de Castro Risueño, co-director of the Atapuerca Project focused on human evolution. Little is known about Europe's earliest human residents. There are fossils commonly attributed to Homo erectus dating to 1.8 million years ago at a Caucasus site in Georgia called Dmanisi on the fringes of Europe. There also are stone tools dating to 1.4 million years ago from western Ukraine, and bones with cut marks, suggesting the use of stone tools to butcher animal carcasses, dating to 1.95 million years ago from Romania. At the Sima del Elefante site, researchers previously recovered a jawbone fragment estimated at 1.2 million years old, though the species was undetermined. The Pink fossils found in 2022 were recovered in a deeper - thus older - layer at the same site. A child's molar dating to approximately the same time is known from a site near Granada in Spain, with the species also unclear. "There are very few sites with human fossils corresponding to the first settlers of Europe," said archaeologist and study co-author Xosé Pedro Rodríguez-Álvarez of the University of Rovira I Virgili in Spain. Pink is older than any known Homo antecessor remains. And Pink's species, according to the researchers, may belong to a population that reached Europe during a migration predating that of Homo antecessor. "We do not know if they could have coexisted for a short period of time or if they never lived together," Huguet said. Discovered nearby Pink were simple quartz and flint tools and animal bones with cut marks indicating butchery. The researchers have not been able to reconstruct Pink's full face because of the incompleteness of the fossils. Diligent work was needed to assemble the fragments to reveal the midface, combining traditional conservation and restoration methods with sophisticated imaging and 3D analysis. Pink's gender remains unclear. "There are many questions to be answered, and this find helps to write a new page in the history of human evolution," Bermúdez de Castro said.
