研究者らはブルガリアで720万年前の大腿骨を発見し、二足歩行を示唆する特徴があり、既知のアフリカホミニン化石よりも古い。この発見はGraecopithecus freybergiという猿種に関連し、直立歩行がアフリカのみで進化したという考えに挑戦する。ただし専門家は二足歩行性を確認するにはさらなる証拠が必要だと警告している。
2016年、ドイツのテュービンゲン大学に所属するMadelaine Böhme氏率いるチームが、ブルガリア南部チルパン近郊のAzmaka遺跡で、ほぼ完全な右大腿骨を発掘した。この骨は長さ21.5センチメートルで「Diva」とあだ名され、720万年前と年代測定された地層から産出しており、アフリカのいかなる認定ホミニン化石よりも古いものだ。
A newly discovered fossil ape from northern Egypt, named Masripithecus moghraensis, dates to 17-18 million years ago and may be closely related to the ancestors of modern apes. Researchers argue this finding shifts the focus from East Africa to northern Africa for early ape evolution. The species provides key insights into hominoid diversity during a period of continental connections.
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Fossils unearthed in a Moroccan cave offer a precise glimpse into early human evolution, dated to about 773,000 years ago using Earth's magnetic field reversal as a timestamp. The remains, blending primitive and advanced traits, suggest an African population close to the shared ancestor of modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans. This discovery highlights northwest Africa's key role in human origins.
Archaeologists have identified the oldest genetically confirmed dog remains from a site in Turkey dating back 15,800 years, pushing the timeline for canine domestication by about 5,000 years. Additional remains from the UK, around 14,300 years old, show dogs were widespread across Europe during the hunter-gatherer era. The findings suggest early humans spread domesticated dogs through cultural exchanges.
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Humans are the only primates with a chin, a feature that has puzzled biologists. A new analysis suggests it emerged not for a specific purpose but as a side effect of other evolutionary changes. Researchers examined hundreds of ape skulls to reach this conclusion.