Monday, February 21, 2011

New Archaelogical Evidence may shape Evolution of Humans


Several human teeth have been discovered in the Middle East dating back 200,000-400,000 years in Qesem Cave a site found in 2000. The cave was occupied by prehistoric humans and this find may provide in sight with one of our common ancestors.

It is believed that Homo sapiens shared a common ancestor in Africa with Neanderthals. Scientists have long said one group migrated to Europe where they developed into Neanderthals, while the ancestors of modern-day humans remained in Africa and western Asia. These teeth could determine which species populated the Middle East during the time period from which they date, the end of the Lower Paleolithic. If the teeth prove to belong to Homo sapiens, they would suggest that humans either originated in what is today Israel and not Africa, or migrated out of Africa much earlier than previously thought.

Read more about it here.

1 comment:

  1. Woah! So would that change slightly what we now believe about the origin of skin pigmentations? Since we think humans evolved in Africa and then moved to colder climates?

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