Fossil finger points to new understanding of earliest human migration
Researchers said on Monday that the middle bone of an adult's middle finger found at a site called Al-Wusta is the oldest Homo sapiens fossil outside of Africa and the immediately adjacent eastern Mediterranean Levant region. For example, for years, we thought Homo sapiens evolved from Homo erectus in Africa 200,000 years ago-but then in 2017, scientists found bone evidence in Morocco suggesting humans may have been around as long as 300,000 years ago. The earliest human fossils in the Levant date to 177,000 years ago from a fossil in Misliya Cave in Israel.
"All of these studies agreed that the fossil belonged to Homo sapiens", Groucutt said at the news conference.
M - New research suggests that modern humans were living in Saudi Arabia about 85,000 years ago, BBC reported. Numerous animal fossils, including those of hippopotamus and tiny fresh water snails were found at Al Wusta, as well as abundant stone tools made by humans.
"And, of course, hunters and gatherers would have been following those animals", Petraglia said.
For more than a decade, a team of archaeologists and anthropologists scoured the Arabian Desert for evidence that some of the earliest members of our species once traversed these formerly green lands.
That all changed with the discovery of the Al Wusta finger bone.
Scientists just gave the middle finger to the idea that early humans migrated out of Africa in a single surge.
That's what Huw Groucutt, a paleoarchaeologist at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and his team were looking for when they began excavating sites in the Arabian Desert more than 10 years ago. "That night back at the hotel, we were Googling 'human finger bone" and, yeah, it looked like our species". While the Levant was then a wooded area with winter rainfall, Al Wusta, about 400 miles (650 kilometers) away, was a grassland that received summer rain.
The bone is the oldest fossil of Homo Sapiens species to ever be found outside of Africa and the Levant or the present Middle-East.
"They're coming up against animals that they've never seen before; environments they've never seen before", he said.
"This discovery for the first time conclusively shows that early members of our species colonized an expansive region of southwest Asia and were not just restricted to the Levant", Groucutt said in a statement.
In work published April 9 in Nature Evolution and Ecology, a massive group of global researchers including scientists from the University of Cambridge, the Max Planck Institute, the Australian National University, and the Saudi Geological Survey reported finding an 88,000-year-old middle-finger bone in the Nefud desert in what is now Saudi Arabia. "The ability of these early people to widely colonize this region casts doubt on long held views that early dispersals out of Africa were localized and unsuccessful".
Related:
-
Trump, Obama, And Other World Leaders Not Invited To Royal Wedding
Harry and Meghan - who starred in TV series Suits - asked for those picked to come from a range of backgrounds and ages. Mental health charity worker Pamela Anomneze (pictured below), 52, of north London , will take son Jude, 15.WWE Wrestlemania 34 Results: Undertaker Vs. John Cena Highlights
WWE did their best to keep us on our toes, but when Cena was yanked from the stands an ran backstage, we knew the fix was in. In some occasions, the Undertaker's brother, Kane had responded on behalf of his brother but Cena remained unsatisfied.Russian Federation dismisses allegations of Syria chemical attack as "fake news"
A Navy destroyer, the USS Donald Cook, was underway in the eastern Mediterranean after completing a port call in Cyprus. President Donald Trump said the alleged chemical attack in Syria over the weekend was "atrocious" and "horrible". -
Details Hazy On 'Death Threats' Against EPA's Scott Pruitt
The agency's ethics officials searched for rates on Airbnb and Zillow and found that the rate of $50 a night was market value. Ryan Jackson said the move to use a special authority was all his and that Pruitt had nothing to do with it.Cardi B didn't want to reveal pregnancy
I was talking to friends of mine and she is like the person who just kicks it with the fellas and is like one of the guys. Last week, West Coast rapper Game spoke on the importance of Cardi experiencing success with her debut.Video Shows View From Inside Bus As Conor McGregor Throws Dolly
The clip also shows the reaction from the fighters on the bus with Michael Chiesa suffering a cut to the head. Attar said McGregor is looking forward to fighting as soon as possible. -
Lawsuit claims 3 Michigan State basketball players raped female student in 2015
The filing adds that at that point the lights were turned off and several players held her down while they took turns raping her. Emily Guerrant, MSU's vice president and university spokesperson, said the university does not comment on pending litigation.Hart focused on West Ham, not England
He doesn't cause problems, he can be angry but for five or ten minutes, no more than that. "I'm not disappointed. Conte believes the draw describes Chelsea's season perfectly, given how many chances they squandered.'Maybe it's me' - Guardiola laments City lapses
It is what it is. "We're looking forward to playing against them and having a good performance. It is so complicated because we are going to play a top, top team. -
Missiles fired at military airport in Homs: Syrian media
Haley castigated Russian Federation for backing Syria, saying that "Russia's hands are covered in the blood of Syrian children". But it also is about the backers of the regime, and of course Russian Federation is one of those backers.Border states pledge 1600 troops for President Trump's border fight
In California, Brown's spokesman, Evan Westrup, said Monday that state officials are still reviewing Trump's troop request. The Republican Ducey in a tweet Monday said more of the state's Guard members will be deployed on Tuesday.Bayern win record-extending 6th straight Bundesliga title
Ribery celebrated his 35th birthday with a cameo appearance for the final eight minutes before Wagner headed in Bayern's fourth. Goalkeeper Seven Ulreich made a parry but Niklas Suele deflected the rebound into the wrong goal with 18 minutes played.