Study: Pre-Humans May Have Emerged Out Of Europe, Not Africa
- 7 years ago
The first pre-humans may not have emerged from Africa as many have long believed.
The first pre-humans may not have emerged from Africa as many have long believed. In fact, new research by an international team has concluded that they may have originated out of Southern Europe.
According to a news release from the University of Toronto, the work involved an analysis of two hominid fossils identified as “a lower jaw from Greece and an upper premolar from Bulgaria.” The release states, “Using computer tomography, [the team] visualized the internal structures of the fossils and demonstrated that the roots of premolars are widely fused.”
As one of the researchers, Professor Madelaine Böhme, explained, “While great apes typically have two or three separate and diverging roots, the roots of Graecopithecus converge and are partially fused - a feature that is characteristic of modern humans, early humans and several pre-humans.”
That and other features like dental roots found in the lower jaw specimen indicated to the team that the species being examined “might belong to the pre-human lineage.”
When and where humans diverged from chimpanzees has long been debated among scientists. According to the release, “Researchers have assumed up to now that the lineages diverged five to seven million years ago and that the first pre-humans developed in Africa.”
The European fossils may also move up the timeline of when humans may have diverged from primates. The Graecopithecus fossils, which have been estimated to be around 7.2 million-years old, are thought to be “several hundred thousand years older than the oldest potential pre-human from Africa.”
The first pre-humans may not have emerged from Africa as many have long believed. In fact, new research by an international team has concluded that they may have originated out of Southern Europe.
According to a news release from the University of Toronto, the work involved an analysis of two hominid fossils identified as “a lower jaw from Greece and an upper premolar from Bulgaria.” The release states, “Using computer tomography, [the team] visualized the internal structures of the fossils and demonstrated that the roots of premolars are widely fused.”
As one of the researchers, Professor Madelaine Böhme, explained, “While great apes typically have two or three separate and diverging roots, the roots of Graecopithecus converge and are partially fused - a feature that is characteristic of modern humans, early humans and several pre-humans.”
That and other features like dental roots found in the lower jaw specimen indicated to the team that the species being examined “might belong to the pre-human lineage.”
When and where humans diverged from chimpanzees has long been debated among scientists. According to the release, “Researchers have assumed up to now that the lineages diverged five to seven million years ago and that the first pre-humans developed in Africa.”
The European fossils may also move up the timeline of when humans may have diverged from primates. The Graecopithecus fossils, which have been estimated to be around 7.2 million-years old, are thought to be “several hundred thousand years older than the oldest potential pre-human from Africa.”