Latest news with #Sundaland
Asharq Al-Awsat
27-05-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Hidden City Built 140,000 Years Ago Discovered at Bottom of Ocean
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in Indonesia that could rewrite the story of human origins. They found the skull of Homo erectus, an ancient human ancestor, over 140,000 years after it was first buried, preserved beneath layers of silt and sand in the Madura Strait between the islands of Java and Madura, according to the Daily Mail. Experts say the site may be the first physical evidence of the lost world, a prehistoric landmass known as Sundaland that once connected Southeast Asia in a vast tropical plain. Alongside the skull bones, researchers recovered 6,000 of animal fossils of 36 species including those of Komodo dragons, buffalos, deer, and elephant. Some of these had deliberate cut marks which is proof that early humans were practicing advanced hunting strategies. These findings provide rare insight into ancient human life and the now-lost lands of Sundaland, offering a glimpse into the behaviors and adaptations of early human populations in response to environmental changes. The fossils were discovered by maritime sand miners in 2011, but experts just recently established their age and species, marking an important milestone in paleoanthropology. 'This period is characterized by great morphological diversity and mobility of hominin populations in the region," said Harold Berghuis, an archaeologist at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands who led the investigation. Between 14,000 and 7,000 years ago, melting glaciers caused sea levels to rise more than 120 meters, submerging the low-lying plains of Sundaland. The discovery began during marine sand mining in the Madura Strait, where dredging brought up fossilized remains.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Hidden city built 140,000 years ago discovered at bottom of ocean
Buried beneath the sea off the coast of Indonesia, scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that could rewrite the story of human origins. The skull of Homo erectus, an ancient human ancestor, was discovered over 140,000 years after it was first buried, preserved beneath layers of silt and sand in the Madura Strait between the islands of Java and Madura. Experts say the site may be the first physical evidence of the lost world, a prehistoric landmass known as Sundaland that once connected Southeast Asia in a vast tropical plain. Alongside the skull bones, researchers recovered 6,000 of animal fossils of 36 species including those of Komodo dragons, buffalos, deer, and elephant. Some of these had deliberate cut marks which is a proof that early humans were practicing advanced hunting strategies. These findings provide rare insight into ancient human life and the now-lost lands of Sundaland, offering a glimpse into the behaviors and adaptations of early human populations in response to environmental changes. The fossils were discovered by maritime sand miners in 2011, but experts just recently established their age and species, marking an important milestone in paleoanthropology. 'This period is characterized by great morphological diversity and mobility of hominin populations in the region,' said Harold Berghuis, an archaeologist at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands who led the investigation. Buried under silt for 140,000 years, the skull was only recently confirmed as Homo erectus, reshaping what we know about early human life in Southeast Asia. Between 14,000 and 7,000 years ago, melting glaciers caused sea levels to rise more than 120 meters, submerging the low-lying plains of Sundaland. The discovery began during marine sand mining in the Madura Strait, where dredging brought up fossilized remains. At a reclamation site near Surabaya, workers found over 6,000 vertebrate fossils along with two human skull fragments. Recognizing their importance, scientists launched detailed surveys, carefully collecting and cataloging the finds for study. To understand the discovery, researchers analyzed the sediment layers where the fossils were found and uncovered a buried valley system from the ancient Solo River, which once flowed eastward across the now-submerged Sunda Shelf. The valley's sediments indicate a thriving river ecosystem during the late Middle Pleistocene. Homo erectus marked a major turning point in human evolution. They were the first early humans to resemble us more closely, with taller, more muscular bodies, longer legs, and shorter arms. Dating the deposits was key. Researchers used Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) on quartz grains to determine when the sediments were last exposed to sunlight. This placed the valley fill and fossils between about 162,000 and 119,000 years ago, firmly within the late Middle Pleistocene epoch. The two Homo erectus skull fragments, a frontal and a parietal bone, were compared to known Homo erectus fossils from Java's Sambungmacan site. The close match confirmed the Madura Strait fossils as Homo erectus, expanding the species' known range into the now-submerged Sundaland region. This site is now considered the first underwater hominin fossil locality in Sundaland. The team also found fossils of an extinct genus of large herbivorous mammals similar to modern elephants, known as Stegodon. This creature could reach up to 13 feet at the shoulder and weigh more than 10 tons. Their molars had more ridges than early elephants but fewer than modern elephants, indicating an intermediate evolutionary stage. Various types of deer remains were also uncovered, including bones and teeth from several species, indicating a diverse and healthy deer population. The presence of deer is significant because they are key indicators of the environment that once existed, typically open woodlands or grasslands with sufficient water and vegetation to support grazing and browsing animals. These deer would have been an important food source for predators, including early humans. A reconstruction of Homo erectus shows the early human ancestor with its distinct upright build and strong features, reflecting its pivotal role in human evolution. Fossils of antelope-like animals further support the theory of grassland habitats. These animals typically prefer open spaces rather than dense forests, so their fossils help reconstruct the ancient landscape as grasslands or savanna-like areas. This study offers the first direct proof of human ancestor's presence in the now-submerged Sundaland landscapes, challenging earlier beliefs about the geographic limits of Homo erectus. It highlights the vital role submerged landscapes play in tracing human evolution and migration across Southeast Asia. Berghuis and his team demonstrate how combining geological, archaeological, and paleoenvironmental methods can reveal lost chapters of human history hidden beneath the sea. Between 14,000 and 7,000 years ago, melting glaciers raised global sea levels by over 120 meters, submerging the low-lying plains of Sundaland. Entire communities were forced to flee inland or to higher islands. The Madura Strait fossils are just one piece of a puzzle that spans continents and millennia. As underwater exploration technology advances, scientists hope to uncover the cities, farms, and memories left behind in the drowned lands.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Science
- The Sun
A 140,000-year-old mysterious human ancestor bone found in LOST land where no one can visit
THE bones of a long-extinct human ancestor have been dredged up from the seafloor, just off the coast of what is now known as Indonesia. The discovery reveals a previously unknown Homo erectus population in Southeast Asia who occupied land before it became an ocean. 4 4 4 A cache of bones was pulled from the seafloor as part of a construction project off the island of Java and another smaller island called Madura. Researchers, who published four separate studies on their findings, say it is the first time fossils have been found in the submerged areas of the Indonesian archipelago. During the last Ice Age, sea levels were much lower than they are today. Mountainous glaciers and vast, icy tundras stored water that eventually fed into the ocean over the course of several millennia. There were areas of the Earth that were not only habitable but occupied by our ancient ancestors, before they were lost to the sea. These lost lands, called Sundaland, were once vast open plains with flowing rivers around 140,000 years ago. The newly discovered Homo erectus bones were found among a bounty of more than 6,000 animal fossils. Fossil remains have revealed the rivers of Sundaland would have been fertile hunting grounds for the Homo erectus. The rivers were teeming with fish, turtles, river sharks, hippos and other marine life, according to the new fossils. While land-walking giants such as elephants, the elephant-like Stegodon and water buffalo also populated the plains, according to the studies, published in the journal Quaternary Environments and Human. There was once a valley between Java and Madura, which is now a body of seawater called the Madura Strait. Cut marks found on some of the fossils suggest our ancient ancestors once hunted turtles on the land beneath the Madura Strait - which is the earliest evidence of this, according to researchers. Although larger game was also on the table. These hominins were targeting cow-like bovids in their prime, according to researchers, which the Indonesian Homo erectus isn't known for. The different hunting strategy is associated with more modern humans on the Asian mainland, suggesting the Homo erectus may have interacted with more modern humans. "The Madura Strait hominins may have developed this hunting strategy independently," study lead author Harold Berghuis, a researcher studying Homo erectus at Leiden University in the Netherlands, told Live Science. "But the other possibility is that we are looking at a kind of cultural exchange." 4
