Ethiopian skulls confirm humanity's African roots
Katie Mantell
Palaeontologists in Ethiopia have unearthed the oldest known fossils of modern
humans. The discovery supports the idea that Homo sapiens originated in Africa.
In two papers published in the journal Nature, Tim White from the University
of California, Berkeley, and colleagues describe three fossilised skulls from
Ethiopia that are around 160,000 years old. The mixture of primitive and modern
features suggests that they are probably immediate ancestors of today's humans.
The findings are "some of the most significant discoveries of early Homo
sapiens so far," says Chris Stringer from the Natural History Museum,
United Kingdom, in an accompanying News and Views article in Nature. In addition
to human fossils, the researchers also found Stone Age tools, as well as bones
from antelopes that were probably butchered by humans. And the skulls themselves
carry cut marks that seem to indicate deliberate mortuary practices.
Follow links
to Nature article
Source: Scidev.net
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