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First human ancestors came from Europe not Africa 7.2 million-year-old fossils indicate
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:07 pm
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:07 pm
Newsweek just published an article which suggests two fossils found in Bulgaria and Greece that are dated between 7.2 and 7.1 million years ago is proof that the first hominin species may have emerged in Europe not Africa.
quote:
The first hominin species, a line that eventually leads to humans, may have emerged in Europe 7.2 million years ago and not Africa—the most widely accepted starting point for our ancestors.
An international team of scientists has presented two studies that suggest the divergence point between chimpanzees and humans took place in the Eastern Mediterranean rather than East Africa. Their findings, published in PLOS ONE, are based on two fossils of the species Graecopithecus freybergi, which were discovered in Greece and Bulgaria and have now been dated to between 7.2 and 7.1 million years ago.
quote:
Both fossils—a lower jaw and an upper premolar—were examined using state-of-the-art computer tomography, allowing the scientists to look at their internal structures.
Their findings showed the teeth are fused in a way that is characteristic of early humans, including Ardipithecus and Australopithecus, the latter of which the famous Lucy fossil belongs to. The jawbone also had dental root features that appear to belong to a pre-human rather than to an ancient chimp.
quote:
Cole says that the studies show that there was a connected landmass between Africa and Europe and that the desert between them created a barrier, dividing populations and causing a new species to emerge.
But the fossilised hominim is not necessarily our earliest ancestor and may have separated from some other early species that would eventually go on to become Ardipithecus.
“ If we just try to look at it with hominin dispersals in context, there have certainly been primates and hominin species moving in and out of Africa and we tend to see the drawings of the arrows moving in one direction, but there’s no reason why they can’t be bidirectional,” he says.
This post was edited on 5/23/17 at 5:16 pm
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:10 pm to DawgfaninCa
The idea that humans originated in sub-saharan africa and spread from there never made much sense to me. The sahara desert is nearly the size of the united states. No primitive people were crossing that desert to populate other lands. They would have been cooked and died.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:10 pm to DawgfaninCa
quote:
not Africa.
Sounds like this part is very important to you.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:10 pm to DawgfaninCa
Makes me proud to be a European American.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:10 pm to DawgfaninCa
Cool.
This is what is so awesome about science. They update their conclusions based on available evidence.
This is what is so awesome about science. They update their conclusions based on available evidence.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:12 pm to Hawkeye95
Might be a little too subtle for the current audience.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:12 pm to DawgfaninCa
Science says so snowflakes. Sorry.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:13 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
The idea that humans originated in sub-saharan africa and spread from there never made much sense to me. The sahara desert is nearly the size of the united states. No primitive people were crossing that desert to populate other lands. They would have been cooked and died.
Was that desert even there back then? I know much of that area used to be good land.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:14 pm to Hawkeye95
quote:People too often ignore that it's supposed to be inherently self-correcting, especially when politics takes up a narrative.
This is what is so awesome about science. They update their conclusions based on available evidence.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:14 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
The sahara desert is nearly the size of the united states.
The Sahara desert as we know it today developed 2 to 3 million years ago. There is strong evidence the climate there was at the minimum semi-arid. Seeing as these fossils predate the desertification of that desert, it isn't relevant to this particular discovery.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:15 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
The Sahara wasn't always a desert like you know it today. There have been periods where it was lush and full of rain as late as 10,000 years ago.
I'm not saying people came from Africa, Europe or outer space. Just that millions of years ago the climate was very different in varied places.
I'm not saying people came from Africa, Europe or outer space. Just that millions of years ago the climate was very different in varied places.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:15 pm to Hawkeye95
quote:This is a bit too rosy an image.
This is what is so awesome about science. They update their conclusions based on available evidence.
There is lots of stubbornness in the scientific community, especially among older scientists.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:15 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
The idea that humans originated in sub-saharan africa and spread from there never made much sense to me. The sahara desert is nearly the size of the united states. No primitive people were crossing that desert to populate other lands. They would have been cooked and died.
The desert formed about the same time as the first hominids developed.
And this story is very interesting but doesn't mean we can't trace our roots back to africa. Just b.c this hominid formed in greece region, doesn't mean that homo ergastor did.
source: Wife volunteers as evolution educator, although her speciality isn't hominids.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:16 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
There is lots of stubbornness in the scientific community, especially among older scientists.
sure, but a youngin can take them down a notch with research.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:16 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:Scientists =\= science.
This is a bit too rosy an image.
There is lots of stubbornness in the scientific community, especially among older scientists.
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:16 pm to DawgfaninCa
So us white folks WERE KANGS.
(BTW, I don't believe this disproves OOA. Let the paper go through thorough peer review and let's see what the consensus is after a few years of analysis).
(BTW, I don't believe this disproves OOA. Let the paper go through thorough peer review and let's see what the consensus is after a few years of analysis).
This post was edited on 5/23/17 at 5:19 pm
Posted on 5/23/17 at 5:17 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
The sahara desert is nearly the size of the united states. No primitive people were crossing that desert to populate other lands. They would have been cooked and died.
They say it wasn't a desert back then, but rather a forest. Anyways, this evidence doesn't dispel the Out of Africa theory, it merely suggests that our ancestors were in Europe much sooner than previously thought. Big difference.
This post was edited on 5/23/17 at 5:19 pm
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