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Archaeologists discover a new kind of early human which could ‘rewrite evolution’

Scientists have discovered an entirely new kind of early human in central Israel that they say could rewrite the story of human evolution.

The new form of prehistoric human has been named Nesher Ramla after the archaeological site where the remains of the 130,000 year old skull and jaw fossils were found.

Archaeologists believe that Nesher Ramla evolved into the classic European Neanderthal and lived side by side with Homo sapiens in the Middle East for more than 100,000 years, sharing knowledge and tools.

It shares features with both Neanderthals, such as the teeth and jaws, and early human, specifically the skull. At the same time, this type of Homo is very unlike modern humans – displaying a completely different skull structure, no chin, and very large teeth, the researchers said.

They believe their findings are so significant they will change the way people think about evolution.

“Our findings imply that the famous Neanderthals of Western Europe are only the remnants of a much larger population that lived here in the Levant [Middle East],” said Professor Israel Hershkovitz, of Tel Aviv University.

“Before these new findings most researchers believed the Neanderthals to be a ‘European story’, in which small groups of Neanderthals were forced to migrate southwards to escape the spreading glaciers, with some arriving in Israel about 70,000 years ago,” he said.

“The Nesher Ramla fossils make us question this theory, suggesting that the ancestors of European Neanderthals lived in Israel as early as 400,000 years ago, repeatedly migrating westward to Europe and eastward to Asia,” Professor Hershkovitz added.

Rachel Sarig, also of Tel Aviv University, said: “This is a group in itself, with distinct features and characteristics. At a later stage small groups of the Nesher Ramla Homo type migrated to Europe – where they evolved into the ‘classic’ Neanderthals that we are familiar with, and also to Asia, where they became archaic populations with Neanderthal-like features.”

“As a crossroads between Africa, Europe and Asia, Israel served as a melting pot where different human populations mixed with one another, to later spread throughout the Old World. The discovery writes a new and fascinating chapter in the story of humankind.”

The study is published in the journal Science.

Reference: Tom Bawden  2 days ago