Europe’s oldest human fossil found in Spain

Archaeologists in Spain consider they have identified the oldest human fossil ever unearthed in Europe.

Scientists say the fossil – part of a jawbone – was found in the Atapuerca mountain vary in the north of the region.

Experts believe that it could be around 1.4 million a long time aged.

In truth, they believe the jawbone is so aged, it does not belong to the present-day Homo Sapiens human species but to that of an more mature extinct ancestor!

What did experts obtain?

Authorities located the fossil at an archaeological web page in the Atapuerca mountains very last thirty day period.

The place is properly recognized for that contains a single of the richest data of prehistoric human occupation in Europe.

Till now, the oldest human fossil found in Europe was a jawbone discovered at the exact same web-site 15 decades back, which was established to be 1.2 million many years previous.

The Atapuerca Basis, which operates the archaeological internet site, mentioned that is “very most likely” that the jawbone fragment “belongs to a person of the to start with populations that colonised Europe”.

Researchers will now use scientific relationship procedures to analyse the jaw and get the job done out if they’re proper with their estimate for the age of the jawbone.

They say it could just take between six to eight months to come across out for selected.

If they are appropriate with their 1.4 million-year-aged prediction, the fossil would be the oldest one particular ever identified in Europe.

Experts are hoping that the examination could also assist determine which historical human species the jawbone fragment belongs to and better recognize our ancestors who evolved on the European continent.