An international team of paleontologists has revised the time and place of origin of Homo sapiens. The corresponding study was published in the journal Nature, briefly reported by Science News.
Experts have discovered on the territory of modern Morocco the remains of the oldest known representative of Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens lived in the northwestern part of Africa 300 thousand years ago.
In total, the authors examined 22 fragments of skulls, jaws, teeth, legs and arms of five people, including at least one child. The remains found in Morocco are distinguished from modern representatives of Homo sapiens by the elongated back of the skull and large teeth, which makes them look like Neanderthals.
Earlier, the most ancient remains of Homo sapiens were considered samples found on the territory of modern Ethiopia, whose age was estimated at 200 thousand years.
Experts agree that the find will allow progress in understanding how and when the appearance of the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons (ancient Homo sapiens) occurred.
