42 thousand years later, the remains of the oldest inhabitant of Australia, who was given the nickname Mungo Man, were discovered in 1974 near Lake Mungo and have since been carefully examined. Only a few days ago the bones were finally returned to the desert, where they rested.
Found 750 km west of Sydney, the skeleton of the "Man from Mungo" has been studied all these years at the Australian National University in Canberra. They wanted to determine at what time the colonization of the continent began. Now, with an apology for disturbing, the remains have been returned to the indigenous people of Australia.
The traditional ceremony of burning eucalyptus leaves was greeted by the aborigines with a black hearse, on which the coffin with the ashes of the "Man from Mungo" arrived. Not hiding his pleasure, the Ngiempaa tribal elder, who calls herself "Aunt Joan," told reporters that she was "delighted to be back in his place of eternal rest." And the elder of the Mutti-Mutti tribe, Aunt Patsy, added that "his spirit will calm down and be freed when we return the body to the place where it was taken from."
The Minister of State Cultural Heritage Gabrielle Upton noted that the local population made a lot of efforts to return the remains of the "Man from Mungo" to his burial place and, folding his hands in a cross-like manner on his groin, cover the ashes with ocher.
Scientists have not been able to determine the exact age of the fossil. Most paleoanthropologists agree that this homo sapiens lived about 40,000 years ago. The researchers had a small snag: because of poor preservation, the remains can be equally mistaken for both male and those of a "masculine woman." So calling the "Man of Mungo" a man is premature.
Most importantly, Australian paleontologists believe that they have succeeded in refuting the generally accepted theory that modern man descended exclusively from African ancestors.
Numerous studies of the mitochondrial DNA of the fossilized remains found near Lake Mungo have initially puzzled scientists. In terms of anatomical structure and DNA, modern man has much more similarity with the "Man of Mungo" than with the previously investigated remains of African ancestors. In addition, the skeleton and genome of the "Man of Mungo" are completely different from the addition and genome of the African ancestor.
The Australian find refuted the hypothesis of Africa as the ancestral home of all earthlings. As a result, I had to be satisfied with the version about the origin of modern people in various regions of the Earth, not only in Africa.
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The theory of specialists at the Australian National University very quickly showed irreconcilable criticism. They argue that it is not entirely correct to refer to genetic evidence obtained from material of such antediluvian prescription. However, the theory of the origin of man from only one African ancestors initially sinned with obvious primitivism. Now, in addition to legitimate doubts, at least some clue has appeared.
One gets the impression that they hastened to part with the ashes of a man, which means so much to scientific achievements. And not because of the demands of the public, which, by and large, local officials do not care. When it was necessary, they dug it out and took it away. The point is different.
When the researchers who argued that the exodus of man from Africa was delusional failed to shut their mouths, petty quibbles began immediately about the dating of the remains of the "Man from Mungo". And they will continue, because after the skeleton has been buried, you can say anything.
It is easier to allow the burying of historical remains than to continue to fight against scientific discoveries that do not correspond to the concepts of "luminaries" who have taken a worthy place in the scientific world and do not want to lose it even in the name of comprehending a certain truth.
IGOR BOKKER