Q.E.D.
Posted on 09/22/2003 3:33:21 PM PDT by blam
Potholers uncover 35,000-year-old human jawbone
Scientists believe a 35,000-year-old jawbone may be the oldest relic of modern human ancestors discovered in Europe.
The fossil was found by potholers in a cave once used by hibernating bears in Romania's Carpathian Mountains.
Experts dated it to between 34,000 and 36,000 years ago - a period during which early modern humans co-existed with the last of the Neanderthals.
Other bones from the same cave - a skull fragment, a facial skeleton and a partial brain case - are still undergoing analysis, but thought to be the same age.
Professor Erik Trinkaus, from Washington University in St Louis, USA, said: "The jawbone is the oldest directly dated modern human fossil.
"Taken together, the material is the first that securely documents what modern humans looked like when they spread into Europe. Although we call them 'modern humans', they were not fully modern in the sense that we think of living people."
Prof Trinkaus and his team found that most of the specimens' anatomical characteristics were similar to those from other early modern human fossils found in Africa, the Middle East, and later in Europe.
But certain features, such as the unusual molar teeth size and proportions, indicated a more primitive origin - and a possible link with Neanderthals.
Scientists disagree on whether or not early modern humans and Neanderthals ever bred.
The Neanderthals, which populated Europe millions of years before early modern humans, had more primitive features and were less advanced tool users.
Many scientists are convinced the two were separate species incapable of having offspring. But others view the Neanderthals as a sub-species of Home sapiens, and believe interbreeding was possible.
Prof Trinkaus said: "The bones are ... fully compatible with the blending of modern human and Neanderthal populations. Not only is the face very large, but so are the jaws and the teeth, particularly the wisdom teeth. In the human fossil record, you have to go back a half-million years to find a specimen that has bigger wisdom teeth."
The findings were described in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Story filed: 22:22 Monday 22nd September 2003
Blam, please put me on your ancient/archeology/disaster theory ping list!
Q.E.D.
"potholer": a person who explores such a cave as recreation.
Yup, tell me. (We are Neanderthals)
I've 'pinged' three people who had a discussion about 'cavers' and 'spelunkers' on another thread earlier today.
And the farmer hauled away another load of hay(Horse Hockey)!
BTTT
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