Over the years, anthropologists around the world have continued to find evidence of what human ancestors looked like. Taken together, these breakthroughs continue to show that many previous scholars’ ideas about the story of human origins turned out to be wrong.
As researchers discover more and more of this evidence and breakthroughs, the puzzle of human evolution is becoming increasingly clear. Below have been summarized from the pages of Mental Floss and Business Insider, some of the findings that help experts understand about human evolution.
1. Hominin footprints in volcanic ash in Tanzania
In 1978, renowned paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey and anthropologist Paul Abell unearthed fossilized footprints in Laetoli, Tanzania. Preserved in volcanic ash, the 3.6 million-year-old footprints likely belong to one of the earliest hominin species, Australopithecus afarensis.
Foot anatomy and pedestrian gait show that A. australopithecus is bipedal and moves more like a human than an ape. This gives scientists more clues about the true evolution of man.
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2. Ancient human bones in Morocco
illustration of human bones (pexels.com/Skitterphoto)–
In 2017, researchers discovered bones excavated in Morocco’s Jebel Irhoud region that were estimated to be 315,000 years old. These bones are estimated to be 100,000 years older than the bones previously thought to be the oldest modern human fossils.
Other remains were also found in different areas of Africa and most ancient human bones were found in North Africa and East Africa. That suggests that the earliest human ancestors may not have lived in just one part of the continent.
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3. Lascaux cave paintings in France
Lukisan di gua Lascaux (radio-canada.ca)–
In 1940, a group of teenage boys discovered a cave filled with prehistoric art. The teenagers were so impressed with the painting that they decided to camp outside the cave for a week to protect the paintings inside.
Then they decided to tell one of their teachers what they had found. Upon investigation, it turned out that the painting was one of the most important discoveries in art history. Paintings of bulls, deer and other prehistoric animals are estimated to be around 17,000 years old. This shows that Stone Age people already understood the complexities of figurative art.
Also Read: Terrible! Grateful that these 12 ancient animals are extinct
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4. DNA fossils in Botswana
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DNA illustrations (pixabay.com/qimono)–
A study published in October 2019 suggests that everyone alive today may have descended from a woman who lived about 200,000 years ago in what is now Botswana. The researchers found the location using genetic analysis of DNA passed down from the female lineage.
These findings support the theory that the ancestors of modern humans originated in Africa and then migrated around the world. This goes against the notion that the first humans evolved in different locations around the world at the same time.
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5. The oldest representation art in Sulawesi
Ancient paintings in Sumatran caves (sciencenews.org)–
The Sulawesi limestone caves are a treasure trove of prehistoric art highlights. In 2019, researchers discovered paintings depicting hunting scenes that date back 43,900 years. In 2021, Australian and Indonesian archaeologists discovered even older representational art.
This painting depicts a pig and is made using ocher, an inorganic mineral that cannot be carbon dated. However, the research team dated the calcium buildup of stalagmites and stalactites below and above the paintings, and found that the oldest paintings were made at least 45,500 years ago.
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6. The skull of a child in South Africa
Skull of Australopithecus africanus (wikimedia.org)–
In 1924, miners near Taung brought the unusual skull to anatomist Raymond Dart. According to observations, the skull does not match that of apes or modern humans. Upon further examination, Dart concluded that the skull belonged to a 3-year-old hominin, whom he named Australopithecus africanus and is estimated to be around 2.8 million years old.
The discovery is one of the first fossils to show early hominin bipedalism, and supports the theory that humans evolved in Africa, not Asia or Europe. In the mid-1990s, anthropologist Lee Berger examined the skull and found that the child had been attacked and killed by an eagle.
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7. Lion-man statue in Germany
human lion statue (wikimedia.org)–
Discovered in 1939 by geologist Otto Völzing, the Löwenmensch statue is made of ivory and depicts a half-man half-lion creature. Over 0.3 meters tall, this statue was carved about 40,000 years ago during the Aurignacian period.
This is the oldest non-human statue ever found that may represent a god. The statue may be evidence that human belief in religion has existed for a long time.
These are some of the discoveries that help scientists understand human evolution. Although assumptions about evolution can continue to change as more and more discoveries are researched, at least this is enough to give an idea of how human life has been since ancient times.
Also Read: The Evolution of Earth’s History That Takes Billions of Years, How is the Process?
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