WASHINGTON (AP) — A fossil of a partial face from a human ancestor is the oldest in western Europe, archaeologists reported Wednesday.

The unfinished cranium — a bit of the left cheek bone and higher jaw – was present in northern Spain in 2022. The fossil is between 1.1 million and 1.4 million years outdated, in accordance with analysis revealed within the journal Nature.

“The fossil is thrilling,” mentioned Eric Delson, a paleontologist on the American Museum of Pure Historical past, who was not concerned within the research. “It’s the primary time now we have important stays older than 1 million years outdated in western Europe.”

A set of older fossils from early human ancestors was beforehand present in Georgia, close to the crossroads of japanese Europe and Asia. These are estimated to be 1.8 million years outdated.

The Spanish fossil is the primary proof that clearly reveals human ancestors “have been taking excursions into Europe” at the moment, mentioned Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program.

However there’s not but proof that the earliest arrivals continued there lengthy, he mentioned. “They could get to a brand new location after which die out,” mentioned Potts, who had no position within the research.

The partial cranium bears many similarities to Homo erectus, however there are additionally some anatomical variations, mentioned research co-author Rosa Huguet, an archaeologist on the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in Tarragona, Spain.

Homo erectus arose round 2 million years in the past and moved from Africa to areas of Asia and Europe, with the final people dying out round 100,000 years in the past, mentioned Potts.

It may be difficult to determine which group of early people a fossil discover belongs to if there’s solely a single fragment versus many bones that present a variety of options, mentioned College of Zurich paleoanthropologist Christoph Zollikofer, who was not concerned within the research.

The identical cave advanced in Spain’s Atapuerca Mountains the place the brand new fossil was discovered additionally beforehand yielded different important clues to the traditional human previous. Researchers working within the area have additionally discovered newer fossils from Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens.

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