A new discovery in Israel could reshape the history of human evolution

The humans inhabiting planet Earth today are not descended from apes but share ancestry with them. It has its origins in present-day African lands, but there has been no chain of missing links for the species that has been replacing others over millions of years. The evolution of mankind has been a more complex, richer and amazing phenomenon than the lineage of male individuals. which were taught in school books.

right Now, Where Israel The great discovery of fossil remains Homo de Nesher Ramlaand raises questions about the possibility of different groups of the human race coexisting (and interacting with them). “People think in models,” said Tel Aviv University anthropologist and member of the group of researchers who made the discovery, Dr. Rachel Sarrig. For this reason, they tried to attribute these fossils to the human groups known as sane man, The standing man, The Homo heidelbergensis Or a Neanderthal. But now we say: No. This is a group in itself, which has different traits and characteristics.”

Based on the fossil remains and stone tools they found, The group of scientists confirms that there are small groups of this type Homo Nature Ramla who migrated to Western Europe, where they evolved into the “classical” Neanderthals, as well as to Asia, They became ancient groups with Neanderthal traits. “The discovery of the Nesher Ramleh site writes a wonderful new chapter in human history,” Serge said in a statement.

About 400,000 years ago, there was a multiple spread of human ancestors from Africa to other regions of the world. Fossil remains of Homo Nesher Ramla found in Israel date back 126,000 years. “It’s a surprising discovery,” he said. Infobae Argentinian scientist Marta Mirazon Lar, who works in the Department of Archeology at the University of Cambridge in England, wrote an article accompanying two reports on the fossil finds. Homo Nature Ramla in edition Prestigious magazine Science this week.

To date, fossil remains of a more recent human population have been found in the so-called Levant Corridor, the strip between the Mediterranean Sea, Israel, Jordan and Syria, dating from 130,000 to 100,000 years ago. The fossils of Nesher Ramle, a site protected by the Israel Antiquities Authority, indicate that its inhabitants were different from those previously described.

They had more ancient anatomical features than humans and Neanderthals whose remains have been found before.Nesher Ramla humans lived in the same area, but the time period is so long that they may not have been found. “We have no evidence that they met face to face. There may be a difference of thousands of years.”, pointed to Infobae Dr. Mirazon Lar, who explained that it is not a new species.

The discovery was published by researchers from Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the University of Haifa in Israel. They had the collaboration of scientists from the National Center for Research in Human Evolution, the Complutense University of Madrid, and the UCM-ISCIII Center for Research in Evolution and Human Behavior in Madrid, Spain; University of Zurich in Switzerland. University of Vienna, Austria; the American Museum of Natural History and Binghamton University in the United States; and research institutions from Germany and Italy. On Science, released two cards: one on the remains Homo from Nesher branchAnd another about animals and tools that were discovered at the same site.

According to the researchers, Homo morphology by Nesher Ramla It shares features with both Neanderthals (particularly the teeth and jaws) and Archaic humans (specifically the skull). At the same time, this type of man is completely different from modern man, in that he has a completely different skull structure, does not have a chin, and has very large teeth.

The first traces of the discovery that led to all the research were studied by Yossi Zeidner, of the Institute of Archeology in The Hebrew University of JerusalemDuring excavations in the sediments located in the mining area of ​​the Nesher cement plant near the city of Ramla. When excavating about 8 meters, large quantities of animal bones, such as horses, as well as stone tools and human bones were found. From that moment on, all research has been done with experts from other countries that have been published in Science.

Researchers also assume that Bishr Nesher Ramleh are not the only ones of its kind discovered in the area, And that some of the human fossils previously found in Israel, which baffled anthropologists for years – such as the Tabun Cave fossils (160,000 years ago), Zotyah Cave (250,000) and Qesem Cave (400,000) – belong to the same new human group now. The type is called Homo de Nesher Ramla.

What did Homo Nesher Ramlar do 126,000 years ago? ask Infobae For researcher Mirazon Lar. Based on studies published by researchers led by the universities of Israel, It could be said that they were hunters. They were fed by hunting deer, rabbits and other large animals. They also eat fruit“Reply. So far, there is no evidence that they developed any artistic activity.” Currently, there is only evidence of art from sane manDr. Mirazon Lar said.

Fossils, more genetic studies and more results will be needed to answer what the interactions between the different groups look like. Mirazun Lar wrote in his article: Nesher Ramla’s interpretation of fossils and stone tools will provoke different reactions among paleoanthropologists. However, the age of Nesher Ramla material, the mismatched archaeological and morphological similarities, and the location of the site at the crossroads of Africa and Eurasia make this an important discovery.”

In addition, consider it The complex and dynamic history of expansions, interactions, extinctions, and sometimes the special history of this species to turn downSimilar differences should be expected in the processes that generated diversity. One such difference will be in the outcome of communication between groups. We are well aware of the divergent long-term consequences of contact with colonizers and colonists. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the cultural and genetic legacy of population contact in our deep past also varies according to social, economic, demographic, and technological conditions.” There is still a great mystery to be assembled about human evolution and its diversity.

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