Posted on 09/09/2009 9:20:25 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
A key stage in human evolution may have taken place on the fringes of Europe and not in Africa as has generally been thought, scientists said yesterday.
Fossils of an ancient human relative, or hominin, from Georgia dated from 1.8 million years ago suggest that the first of our ancestors to walk upright could have done so in Eurasia, the British Science Festival was told.
David Lordkipanidze, director of the Georgian National Museum, said the skulls, fossils and limb bones found at Dmanisi in 1999 and 2001 raise the possibility that Homo erectus, a forerunner of modern humans, evolved in Europe or Asia and later spread back to Africa. He also revealed that a fifth well-preserved skull, the most complete yet, had been discovered at the site.
The Dmanisi fossils, which have been identified either as Homo erectus or a new species, Homo georgicus, have already shown ancient hominins began to leave Africa at least 1.8 million years ago, pushing back the accepted date for the first exodus from the cradle of humanity by several hundred thousand years.
This leaves two possible scenarios for a critical phase in evolution, Professor Lordkipanidze said. Either Homo erectus could have evolved in Africa and then spread to Asia and even Europe, or a more primitive relative might have left Africa and evolved into the more upright, advanced species in Eurasia. “We all agree the first appearance of humans was in Africa but when they left and started global colonisation is a debatable issue,” Professor Lordkipanidze said.
“The prevailing view before Dmanisi was that they left about a million years ago, and had sophisticated tools and quite advanced anatomy and brain capacity. What we’re finding is different.
“The story begins in Georgia. It was always thought the Champions’ League of human evolution took place
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Never believe what the winner says he may have lied to steal the gold. Actually, current studies prove the Romans lied.
Have to believe the winners because the losers left behind so little evidence. In any case, the technical gap between West Africans and Scandinavians wasn’t like that between that between the aborigines of Australia and South East Asia. Both were in contact with the Mediterranean world.
Image: JOHN GURCHE PORTRAIT OF A PIONEER With a brain half the size of a modern one and a brow reminiscent of Homo habilis, this hominid is one of the most primitive members of our genus on record. Paleoartist John Gurche reconstructed this 1.75-million-year-old explorer from a nearly complete teenage H. erectus skull and associated mandible found in Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia. The background figures derive from two partial crania recovered at the site. "
Yeah, but all living humans are descended from near the Caucasus mountains, where supposedly the Ark came to rest. And we all had the same ancestral mother less than 20,000 years ago.
>> But seriously, if civilization began in Africa then why did they never advance as fast as Europeans? <<
Islam. Prior to Islam’s conquest, multi-racial Egypt was the most advanced society.
How can you stick to the Ark nonsense when your own theory debunks the Adam and Eve myth?
That was the first thought I had.
No comment from me!
Only trouble with that explantion is that Egyptians don't consider themselves African in the political sense and never have.
Why doesn't anybody bother to ask them?
This is liable to get a few folks all wee-weed up!
Just fun facts... not making any argument. I’m not actually a Creationist in the traditional sense, at all.
LOL!!!
Oh, heheh!
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Thanks bruinbirdman. Dunno what happened to it, but I'm positive someone sent a link to a similar story which couldn't be used (source, some whine about copyright, what a bunch of soreheads), glad you found this one! |
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