Paleontologists have proved the hypothesis of the origin of two types of ancient people in Africa

An international team of scientists has found out that two types of ancient people originated in Africa, and not one, as previously thought. To clarify this issue, they analyzed the area of dental crowns. This was reported by the journal PLOS One.

The study aims to clarify the question of the ownership of the fossils from Dmanisi, five skulls that were discovered in the region between 1999 and 2005. They are believed to belong to the most ancient human species, Homo caucasi, but they do not resemble each other in themselves: some finds are larger than others, while others have a more prominent face. It was assumed that the varying shapes indicate high sexual dimorphism. However, new data may change this view.

For the study, the scientists used linear discriminant analysis (LDA) methods and compared tooth data with samples from other hominids. The results showed that the dental crowns in the Dmanisi fossils confirm the hypothesis of the existence of two species, not one. One of them could be close to the species Homo georgicus, and the other to Homo caucasiae. These dental data allow us to draw conclusions about the taxonomic relationships and the temporary coexistence of different species in this area.

This discovery also contradicts the theory that Homo erectus was the only species to migrate from Africa, and suggests that the evolution of early Homo may have included several cladogenesis events related to various expansion processes and responses to changing conditions.

One of the most important findings is that the study of dental crowns can have a significant impact on understanding early human evolution. Also, from the point of view of sexual dimorphism, scientists have found that morphological differences in the teeth of hominids from Dmanisi are similar to those observed in modern gorillas and chimpanzees.

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On December 4, Scientific Reports magazine reported the discovery by archaeologists of a bone fragment that was used by Neanderthals to skin animals. The find consisted of a fragment of the left femur of a deer, about 13 cm long and slightly less than 3 cm wide. According to experts, if the purpose was determined by the texture, smoothed areas with curved edges and signs of wear were found on the bone.

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