1. New fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco and the pan-African origin of Homo sapiens
- Author
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Hublin, J.J., Ben-Ncer, A., Bailey, S.E., Freidline, S.E., Neubauer, S., Skinner, M.M., Bergmann, I., Le Cabec, A., Benazzi, S., Harvati, K., Gunz, P., Hublin J.J., Department of Human Evolution [Leipzig], Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology [Leipzig], Max-Planck-Gesellschaft-Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Chaire internationale Paléoanthropologie, Collège de France (CdF (institution)), Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine [INSAP] - Rabat, Center for the study of Human Origins, New York University [New York] (NYU), NYU System (NYU)-NYU System (NYU), University of Kent [Canterbury], Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna [Bologna] (UNIBO), University of Tübingen, Max Planck Society, Hublin J.J., Hublin, Jean-Jacque, Ben-Ncer, Abdelouahed, Bailey, Shara E., Freidline, Sarah E., Neubauer, Simon, Skinner, Matthew M., Bergmann, Inga, Le Cabec, Adeline, Benazzi, Stefano, Harvati, Katerina, and Gunz, Philipp
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,010506 paleontology ,[SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory ,Hominidae ,[SHS.ANTHRO-BIO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Biological anthropology ,Morphology (biology) ,Mandible ,01 natural sciences ,03 medical and health sciences ,Paleontology ,Phylogenetics ,Animals ,Humans ,Clade ,Middle Stone Age ,Phylogeny ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Thermoluminescence dating ,Animal ,Fossils ,[SDV.BID.EVO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE] ,Skull ,Fossil ,biology.organism_classification ,Morocco ,030104 developmental biology ,Homo sapiens ,Evolutionary biology ,Chronology as Topic ,Face ,Africa ,Human taxonomy ,Tooth ,Human - Abstract
Fossil evidence points to an African origin of Homo sapiens from a group called either H. heidelbergensis or H. rhodesiensis. However, the exact place and time of emergence of H. sapiens remain obscure because the fossil record is scarce and the chronological age of many key specimens remains uncertain. In particular, it is unclear whether the present day ‘modern’ morphology rapidly emerged approximately 200 thousand years ago (ka) among earlier representatives of H. sapiens1 or evolved gradually over the last 400 thousand years2. Here we report newly discovered human fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, and interpret the affinities of the hominins from this site with other archaic and recent human groups. We identified a mosaic of features including facial, mandibular and dental morphology that aligns the Jebel Irhoud material with early or recent anatomically modern humans and more primitive neurocranial and endocranial morphology. In combination with an age of 315 ± 34 thousand years (as determined by thermoluminescence dating)3, this evidence makes Jebel Irhoud the oldest and richest African Middle Stone Age hominin site that documents early stages of the H. sapiens clade in which key features of modern morphology were established. Furthermore, it shows that the evolutionary processes behind the emergence of H. sapiens involved the whole African continent.
- Published
- 2017