A team of researchers working in Israel have identified a previously unknown type of ancient human that lived alongside our species more than 100,000 years ago. The newly discovered human lineage has been named as the “Nesher Ramla Homo type”.
- Researchers believe the remains uncovered near the city of Ramla in Israel represent one of the “last survivors” of a very ancient human group.
- The finds consist of a partial skull and jaw from an individual who lived between 140,000 and 120,000 years ago.
- Researchers 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 reshaped the story of human evolution, particularly our picture of how the Neanderthals emerged. The general picture of Neanderthal evolution had in the past been linked closely with Europe.
(Source: BBC)
