Researchers say fossils previously found in South Africa are older than we thought, reigniting questions about the origin of mankind.
Fossils are sparking new debates around the origin of mankindWay back in 1947, Robert Broom and John T. Robinson discovered the fossils of an ancient pre-human now known as Mrs. Ples. At the time, many believed the skull, identified as part of, to be around 2.1 to 2.6 million years old. Many also believed the genus, marking it as the evolutionary origin of mankind.
Now, though, a new study has thrown all of these beliefs out the window. Researchers published the new study in the journal. In it, authors Darryl Granger and others posit that the skull date back to between 3.4 to 3.6 million years. That’s almost a one-million-year difference. As such, this study’s discovery has thrown a wrench into the theories that Mrs. Ples and other skeletons that were dated similarly are the precursors to modern humankind.Granger says the caves in South Africa where Mrs. Ples was discovered hold morefossils than anywhere in the world. The site, known as Sterkfontein Caves, is now part of the UNESCO World Heritage site known as the Cradle of Humankind.
With Mrs. Ples now dating to a similar period as Lucy and others, though, it once more has scientists scratching their heads. We’ve long searched for the origin of mankind, and now, it seems that scientists will need to keep searching if they hope to find a more definitive answer to that lingering question.
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