Skulls of early Homo erectus from the site of Dmanisi, Georgia, are all quite different
"Together with the fossilized bones of four additional individuals discovered in close proximity, the skulls indicates that populations of early Homo comprised a wider range of morphological variation than traditionally assumed, which implies a single evolving lineage with continuity across continents. "
So who knows, maybe H rudolfensis, H gautengensis, H ergaster and possibly H habilis are all H erectus! If true this would be a game changer as it could indicate that our predecessors at a specific time and place are way less similar to each other than was expected until now.
Read both papers in Science:
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/342/6156/297.short
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/342/6156/326.short
#science #paper #homosapiens #evolution #homoerectus #Dmanisi #palaeontology
2 Replies to “Skulls of early Homo erectus from the site of Dmanisi, Georgia, are all quite different”
Interesting.
The coolest part for me is this: "At that time about 18% of the site's animal bones belonged to carnivores, including fierce saber-toothed cats and an extinct giant cheetah. Confrontations with these beasts would have been common—and dangerous. All five individuals were found in underground dens where carnivores had probably dragged their carcasses."
Sabre-toothed cats were collecting samples for today's humanity. 😀