400,000-yr-old remains show ‘humans evolved from Middle East, not Africa’
By ANIMonday, December 27, 2010
LONDON - A new discovery of 400,000-yr-old human remains has raised doubts as to whether the first humans evolved out of Africa, as the popular theory goes, or elsewhere.
Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University have found eight human-like teeth found in the Qesem cave near Rosh Ha’Ayin, which belong to the Middle Pleistocene Age - and therefore are the earliest remains of homo sapiens yet discovered.
These findings by Professor Avi Gopher and Dr Ran Barkai indicate that modern man did not originate in Africa as previously believed, but in the Middle East.
The researchers also found evidence of a sophisticated early human society that used sharpened flakes of stone to cut meat and other impressive prehistoric tools.
“A diversified assemblage of flint blades was manufactured and used Thick-edged blades, shaped through retouch, were used for scraping semi-hard materials such as wood or hide, whereas blades with straight, sharp working edges were used to cut soft tissues,” the Daily Mail quoted the authors as saying.
The team will continue the exploration expecting to make more discoveries that would shed further light on human evolution in prehistoric times.
The find is published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. (ANI)
