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PALAEOANTHROPOLOGY 50 Years Ago By the time the lunar samples brought back by Apollo 11 have been An early modern wrung dry of scientific information, the second American expedition to the Moon will have already been human outside Africa mounted … [T]he next landing will be at one of the two sites in the eastern Analysis of two fossils from a Greek cave has shed light on early hominins in hemisphere which have been chosen Eurasia. One fossil is the earliest known specimen of Homo sapiens found outside as smooth enough for a landing … Africa; the other is a Neanderthal who lived 40,000 years later. See Article p.500 This way by the end of the year NASA will have recovered samples of typical mare regions in both the ERIC DELSON so mirror ing its right and left sides yielded a eastern and western hemispheres of good reconstruction. The authors’ extensive the visible face of the Moon. What he origin and early dispersal of comparative analysis indicates that this fossil the Apollo 12 astronauts … will be Homo sapiens has long been a subject is an early member of H. sapiens. The poste- instructed to look out for will depend of both popular and scholarly interest1. rior part of the cranium is rounded like that on the first-hand descriptions of TIt is almost universally agreed that H. sapiens of H. sapiens, and it lacks classic Neander- the surface radioed by Armstrong (modern humans) evolved in Africa, with the thal features, such as the distinctive occipital and Aldrin on Monday morning earliest known fossil representatives of our ‘chignon’ — a bulge at the back of the skull that (BST) and on preliminary analyses species dated to around 315,000 years ago in is shaped like hair tied in a bun. of the samples … Armstrong’s first Morocco (at a site called Jebel Irhoud)2 and Earlier dating8 of a fragment of Apidima 2 description that “the surface appears approximately 260,000 years ago in South using a method called uranium-series anal- to be very finely grained as you get Africa (at Florisbad)3. Stone tools comparable ysis indicated a minimum age of around close to it, it’s almost like powder” to those found with both of these fossils have 160,000 years. Harvati and colleagues report matches the Surveyor results been excavated in Kenya (at Olorgesailie)4 and a more extensive set of uranium-series dating which point to a matrix made up of dated to about 320,000 years ago. On page 500, analyses, which surprisingly reveal that Api- finely divided particles sometimes Harvati et al.5 describe their analysis of a fossil dima 1 and Apidima 2 are of different ages, aggregated in lumps. from Apidima Cave in southern Greece that even though they were found in close proxim- From Nature 26 July 1969 they report to be an early modern H. sapiens ity. Apidima 2 is around 170,000 years old — at least 210,000 years old. This fossil is the well within the age range of other Neanderthal oldest known modern human in Europe, and fossils found across Europe (Fig. 1). Apidima 1 probably in all of Eurasia, and is more than is dated to be at least 210,000 years old, which 100 Years Ago 160,000 years older than the next oldest known is much older than any other widely accepted European fossil of H. sapiens6. H. sapiens fossils found outside Africa. The possibility of growing New The Apidima Cave complex was excavated This finding reveals that at least two species Zealand flax (Phormium tenax) in the late 1970s. Two partial crania (skulls of hominin (humans and human relatives from on a commercial scale in the without the lower jaw), named Apidima 1 and the branch of the family tree after our split British Isles has for many years Apidima 2, were recovered in a single block from chimpanzees) inhabited southeastern been under consideration, and the of a type of rock called breccia. Neither fossil Europe approximately 200,000 years ago. The publication of an important paper was previously described in detail. Apidima 2 discovery of an H. sapiens fossil in Apidima on the subject … is of considerable includes the facial region of the skull and had raises questions about what happened to this interest… The article, which mainly been identified as a Neanderthal7. Apidima 1 population. Given that this H. sapiens existed consists of an account of Lord consists of only the back of the skull and had at a time when there is substantial evidence Ventry’s successful experiments in not been previously allocated definitively to a for a Neanderthal presence at other Euro- co. Kerry, is illustrated by several species. Harvati and colleagues used computed pean sites, was it part of a population that was photographs of New Zealand flax tomography to scan the fossils, and generated unable to compete successfully with Neander- under cultivation in Ireland showing a 3D virtual reconstruction of each specimen. thals, especially in the unstable climate of that a remarkably vigorous growth … It They analysed each fossil to assess aspects of time? Perhaps one or more times, the two spe- is pointed out in the article that only its shape, and thus to determine the fossils’ cies replaced each other as the main hominin certain parts of the United Kingdom similarity to those of other species. group present in this region. are suitable for the growth of New Apidima 2 is badly damaged owing to Such patterns of replacement characterize Zealand flax … but as the results so previous breakage and distortion. Analyses the distribution of modern humans and far obtained are promising, it is to of all four generated reconstructions of the Neanderthals in the Levant region of the be hoped that every encouragement fossil were consistent with it being an early Middle East between 250,000 and 40,000 years will be given to the enterprise. Neander thal. Apidima 1 is also damaged, ago. Homo sapiens replaced Neanderthals From Nature 24 July 1919 but the specimen is not too badly distorted, across Europe between approximately 45,000 ©2019 Spri nger Nature Li mited. All ri ghts reserved. ©2019 Spri nger Nature Li mited. All ri ghts reserved. 25 JULY 2019 | VOL 571 | NATURE | 487 RESEARCH NEWS & VIEWS are too incomplete for their status as H. sapiens to be certain. Could molecular approaches be Apidima Denisova Neanderthal used to determine the species they are from? Greece Russia presence Jinniushan 210 kyr (Earliest known 195–52 kyr It is not always possible to recover DNA from 450–35 kyr China European H. sapiens) 147–91 kyr ancient fossils. However, analysing ancient 250–150 kyr 170 kyr proteins preserved in fossils, a method termed Misliya palaeo proteomics, is starting to be used to Israel Xiahe 194–177 kyr China Dali identify species (see go.nature.com/2xkosom). 160 kyr China Jebel Irhoud Compared with analysis of ancient DNA, 250–150 kyr Morocco Zuttiyeh palaeo proteomics requires less specialized Israel 315 kyr Hualongdong handling of the fossil to prevent contamination. 500–200 kyr China It was recently used14 to analyse a fossilized 300 kyr Olorgesailie Hathnora jaw found in China that is approximately Kenya India 160,000 years old, enabling the specimen to Stone tools 250–100 kyr 320 kyr be identified as an enigmatic hominin called a Denisovan, whose scarce fossils have also been Florisbad found at Denisova Cave in Siberia. South Africa Perhaps palaeoproteomics can be used to 260 kyr verify the identity of the Apidima fossils. It H. sapiens Hominin possibly related to H. sapiens might also be possible to apply this method to Neanderthal Denisovan Hominin not assigned to species contemporaneous fossils from Asia (estimated to be 300,000–150,000 years old) that have Figure 1 | Some key early fossils of Homo sapiens and related species in Africa and Eurasia. Harvati not yet been definitively assigned to a species. et al.5 present their analyses of two fossil skulls from Apidima Cave in Greece. They report that the fossil These fossils are of interest for their potential to Apidima 1 is an H. sapiens specimen that is at least 210,000 years old, from a time when Neanderthals reveal how many hominin species might have occupied many European sites. It is the earliest known example of H. sapiens in Europe, and is at least lived during this time. Perhaps some of them 160,000 years older than the next oldest H. sapiens fossils found in Europe6 (not shown). Harvati and 7 are also H. sapiens, although I doubt it. Among colleagues confirm that, as previously reported , Apidima 2 is a Neanderthal specimen, and they estimate the most complete of these specimens are that it is at least 170,000 years old. The authors’ findings, along with other discoveries of which a selection crania from India at a site called Hathnora15, is shown here, shed light on the timing and locations of early successful and failed dispersals out of 16 16 and from China at Dali , Jinniushan and Africa of hominins (modern humans and other human relatives, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans).