The structure in question is the hyoid, a horseshoe-shaped bone resting freely in the throat, attached indirectly to the larynx, tongue, and base of the skull by ligaments and muscles. The hyoid is very fragile, and thus rarely found preserved as a fossil, even within relatively recent human remains. Despite decades of excavation at Kebara by researchers from Israel, France, and the United States, "It was a total fluke that this one was found in such excellent condition," according to Lyn Schepartz, a member of the excavation team and a professor of anthropology at the University of Cincinnati. This fossil, dated at 60,000 years old, represents the earliest complete hyoid in the fossil record anywhere in the world. The tiny hyoid may have huge implications for demonstrating the capacity for speech in fossil hominids. It is attached to the muscles controlling the tongue, and its delicate movement within the throat helps control the formulation of speech.[...]
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