- A group of researchers in Spain made a major discovery after they found the remains of an ancient man
- According to the researchers, they found a jaw bone belonging to an extinct species that lived up to 1.4m years ago
- The archaeologists named the species Homo affinis erectus, noting that it lived and died on the Iberian peninsula between 1.1m and 1.4m years ago
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Scientists have discovered the remains of the oldest known human face in Western Europe.
The researchers say the jaw bones belong to a human ancestor who lived in the Iberian peninsula between 1.1m and 1.4m years ago.
Spanish scientists find jaw bone of ancient man who lived 1.4 million years ago. Photo credit: Maria D Guillen/Iphes-Cerca/PA.Source: UGC
They say the fossilised remains consist of the left cheek and upper jaw of an adult member of an extinct human species.
According to the researchers who excavated the site, the bone was found at Sima del Elefante cave (Pit of the Elephant) cave near Atapuerca in Burgos, The Guardian UK reports.
The site is close to where researchers had previously found the fossils of Western Europe’s previous oldest human known as the Homo antecessor some 20 years ago.
The lead researcher, Dr Rosa Huguet at Spain’s University of Rovira i Virgili said the latest discovery introduces a new dimension to the origins of human evolution in Europe.
Her words:
The research “introduces a new actor in the history of human evolution in Europe.”
The work, which was published in the Journal Nature states that jaw bone resembles that of Homo erectus, the first species to evolve a human-like body. The latest discovery is named Homo affinis erectus, due to its close relationship with the older human. It was nicknamed Pink.
Scientists say the discovered jaw bones belong to an ancient man who lived on the Iberian peninsula between 1.1m and 1.4m years ago. Photo: Maria D Guillen/Iphes-Cerca/PA..Source: UGC
According to José María Bermúdez de Castro, the co-director of the Atapuerca Project, the bone is another step towards understanding the first Europeans.
He said:
“This is another step towards understanding the first Europeans. We now know that this first species had an appearance reminiscent of the specimens included by many in Homo erectus. However, the remains from the Sima del Elefante site have a very particular combination of features. More fossils should be found in other contemporary sites to reach a more robust conclusion about the identity of this species.”
Scientists share information about the availability of water on Mars
In a related story reported by TheTalk.NG, Chinese and American scientists who are studying to know if Mars once had water bodies have made a new discovery.
People like Elon Musk have always dreamed of sending humans to Mars and making it habitable like the Earth.
The Chinese robot known as Zhurong rover landed on Mars in 2021, and it has sent back information after penetrating the ground.
Guangzhou University was quoted by China Daily as saying:
“These geological features are highly similar to coastal sedimentary deposits on Earth, providing the most direct underground evidence to date for the existence of ancient oceans in Mars’ middle to low latitudes. If an ocean once existed on Mars, climate change may have caused a large amount of water to be stored as underground ice, raising the possibility that future Mars bases could have ample water resources.”
Source: TheTalk.NG
