Discovered the remains of a girl of another species 850,000 years old

(NLDO) - Excavations at the Atapuerca site in Spain have revealed the remains of a Homo antecessor girl, a different species but of the same genus as us.

According to Ancient Origins, Homo antecessor lived on Earth about 1.2-800,000 years ago and is one of the oldest human species present in Europe.

Homo antecessor, meaning "pioneer" in Latin, was first discovered in the Gran Dolina cave also at the Atapuerca site in 1994 and identified as a separate species in 1997.

Excavation at the Atapuerca site, in the province of Burgos in Spain - Photo: IPHES

For a long time, it was thought that this species was the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens (also known as modern humans, or us) and another cousin species, the Neanderthals.

However, more recent research suggests that this is not the case. Currently, the most widely accepted theory is that Homo antecessor belongs to a branch of our common evolutionary lineage that split off just before Neanderthals split off.

In early 2024, a team from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) was digging in unit TD6 of the Gran Dolina cave when they stumbled upon the remains of an unidentified hominin.

Subsequent excavations have yielded several skull fragments, two pieces from the lower jaw, several vertebrae, a bone from the wrist, and a single incisor tooth.

All of the fossils were identified as belonging to a female Homo antecessor, about 25 years old when she died.

Dating revealed that the woman lived about 850,000 years ago.

Previously, a series of tools belonging to this species have been found in the area, with technology consistent with many other tool sets dating back around 1 million years, excavated across Western Europe.

This suggests that other humans of this species may have been very numerous in prehistoric Europe, before becoming extinct for unknown reasons.

Even at the time Homo sapiens emerged - more than 300,000 years ago - the world still had at least 8-9 human species living.

However, they all gradually became extinct and today only Homo sapiens dominates the human genus.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/phat-hien-hai-cot-co-gai-khac-loai-850000-tuoi-196240802091940768.htm