Researchers working in Israel have identified a previously unknown type of ancient human.
The skull fragment and jawbone found near Ramla in Israel
The finds consist of a partial skull and jaw from an individual who lived between 140,000 and 120,000 years ago.The team members think the individual descended from an earlier species that may have spread out of the region hundreds of thousands of years ago and given rise to Neanderthals in Europe and their equivalents in Asia.Dr Hila May of Tel Aviv University said the discovery reshapes the story of human evolution, particularly those of the Neanderthals.
"There are several human fossils from the caves of Qesem, Zuttiyeh and Tabun that date back to that time that we could not attribute to any specific known group of humans. But comparing their shapes to those of the newly uncovered specimen from Nesher Ramla, justify their inclusion within the [new human] group.""The European Neanderthal actually began here in the Levant and migrated to Europe, while interbreeding with other groups of humans.
The researchers base their claims on similarities in features between the Israeli fossils and those found in Europe and Asia, though their assertion is controversial. Prof Chris Stringer, from the Natural History Museum in London, has recently been assessing Chinese human remains.
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