In relentless studies to locate how humans have extended throughout the world, the newest evidence revealed that hominids were in Europe at least 1. 95 million years ago. Recently, indexes have been discovered about their presence through studies of an archaeological site in Romania that can now help the early dispersion of hominines outside the doors of Africa.
An examination published in the main points of nature communications highlights it, which predates evidence of hominins in the past discovered elsewhere in Europe. Fossil-rich river valley.
Researchers didn’t identify hominin remains at Grăunceanu, but instead found animal bones with cuts that revealed a hominin presence. The site was once teeming with extinct fauna, including several carnivores, equine species, rhinocerotoids, and rodents.
In addition, the presence of some heat-adapted (or less tolerant) species, such as ostriches, pangolins, and paradolicopithecus (an ancient monkey) indicates that the river valley domain had mild winters. It also allowed the researchers to conclude that the region was temperate and had seasonal variability.
These conditions would have made Grăunceanu and the surrounding region a fitting home for hominins to occupy. The researchers proved this by examining 4,524 fauna specimens for signs of surface modifications on bones dated to around 1.95 million years ago.
They detected likely cut marks in 20 of the samples, 8 of which were classified as high-confidence marks. These high-confidence marks were located on 4 tibias, a mandible, a humerus, and two fragments of long bones. Based on the anatomical location, those markings gave the impression of reflecting the hominin parade.
Read more: discover our roots: an introduction to the history of human evolution
Changes in bone surface show that hominins probably came to grind around 2 million years ago, making it the first European hominin known so far. The researchers, however, cannot say for sure which species the hominins were.
Hominin fossils in Europe are regularly identified as Homo sapiens, with some others identified as the older Homo erectus. Due to the fact that the earliest H. erectus sensu lato (referring to African and West Eurasian populations of H. erectus and potentially related subspecies) appeared in South Africa and Ethiopia around 2 million years ago, it is possible that this was not the hominin species at Grăunceanu, or that H. erectus is actually older than current data suggests.
The evidence of the dispersion of the hominins was discovered in several places in the Middle East, Russia and China, which dates from 2 million years to 1. 5 million years. But before the discovery of Tructionanu, the oldest known hominino site in Europe in Dmanisi, a city in the country of Georgia.
This site, which contains hominine remains and carnage brands in animal remains, dates from approximately 1. 85 million years ago. The identity of Dmanisi’s hominids, in particular, their dating to H. rectus and H. habilis, is also a dispute issue, the population called Homo Georgicus.
With hominin evidence in fuels, the date of archaic humans in Europe can be returned. The exam means that our ancestors can spread in unexplored spaces in Eurasia before what we thought, taking merits of soft climates in temperate environments.
Our writers discovermagazine. com use studies reviewed by pairs and flights to the reposses for our articles, and our editors review the clinical precision and editorial standards. Check the reorganizations used for this article:
Nature Communications. Hominin presence in Eurasia by at least 1.95 million years ago
UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Dmanisi archaeological hominids
Jack Knudson is an assistant editor, on the scene at Discover and is very interested in science and the history of the environment. Before joining Discover in 2023, he studied journalism at the College of Communication scripps of the University of Ohio and in the past he made an internship in the Recycling Today magazine.
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