Are our ancestors from Africa? A new discovery shakes things up.
"Humans are from AFRICA."
That's what we were told from early childhood. That around 7 million years ago we and chimpanzees had a common ancestor that lived in africa. Over time they migrated all over the world and we are their grandgrandgrandgrand... -children.
That makes us all africans :D
But are we all africans?
A new discovery in Bulgaria and Greece puts that thought on a hold. They found the remains of an ape-like creature with human-like teeth, named Graecopithecus freybergi, and nicknameded ‘El Graeco' by scientists, dating to 7.2 million years ago. This is contradicting evidence to the current theory.
According to the new finds humans started evolving 200,000 years before our african counterparts. This could mean that humans developed in the Mediterranean region and who knows, maybe white men are the original men?
7 million years ago Eastern Europe was an open savannah which forced apes to move to new feeding grounds. That may have led to bipedalism.
“This study changes the ideas related to the knowledge about the time and the place of the first steps of the humankind,” said Professor Nikolai Spassov from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
“Graecopithecus is not an ape. He is a member of the tribe of hominins and the direct ancestor of homo.
The food of the Graecopithecus was related to the rather dry and hard savannah vegetation, unlike that of the recent great apes which are living in forests. Therefore, like humans, he has wide molars and thick enamel.
To some extent this is a newly discovered missing link. But missing links will always exist , because evolution is infinite chain of subsequent forms. Probably El Graeco's face will resemble a great ape, with shorter canines."
By analyzing the lower jaw and an upper tooth of Graecopithecus the researches found they had characteristic features of modern humans, early humans and several pre-humans: "While great apes typically have two or three separate and diverging roots, the roots of Graecopithecus converge and are partially fused. The lower jaw, has additional dental root features, suggesting that the species was a hominid."
It's possible Graecopithecus moved periodically between the Mediterranean region and Africa. The climate has changed dramatically and periodically. At time the Mediterranean sea was so low that there would have been a land bridge from Africa to Europe.
Many experts however don't take this new find very seriously since the amount of specimens found in Africa is many time greater.
What do you think, is this our ancestor?
Sources:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/05/22/europe-birthplace-mankind-not-africa-scientists-find/
http://theconversation.com/did-humans-evolve-in-europe-rather-than-africa-we-dont-have-the-answer-just-yet-77682
http://www.history.com/news/did-the-first-human-ancestor-emerge-in-europe-not-africa
There is also some other compelling evidence I have stumbled upon online that suggests this as well, even with the cool new find in Greece.
In the least I think we can assume that the hum race branched off much sooner then previously expected. And even China has some evidence that mammals first came from this part of the country because of some mouse like fossil they found that is the oldest mammal fossil ever found.
I love how our history doesn't change but our perception of it does. What interesting creatures humans are, aren't they. ^^
I agree. With no doubt history keeps changing from day to day with each new find.
If this is true it would change completely the evolution of humanity, but I think we should find more evidences to be sure.
definitely
Good articles @sulev.
We can add more knowledge about the history.
Thank you very much! @taufar
I can't help but get the vibe that some people are really, really happy not because of the advancement of scientific understanding, but simply because the Africa theory might be wrong. It's not the first time I've seen fanatic support for this idea, the evidence will lead us whereit may.
Haven't encountered those people.