We have found fossils that rewrite our history and lineage in recent years.
Researchers and paleontologists have recently found an odd set of teeth that they claim does not belong to any known human species in history. We are making revolutionary discoveries almost daily that reshape the world around us and our understanding of how we came to be what we are today.
So, to whom does this strange set of “forgotten” teeth belong?
Tiny fossils have enabled us to deepen our understanding of human history
We have spent the best part of the last century digging up nearly every corner of the planet, and what we are finding is remarkable.
Recent discoveries of ancient teeth have led scientists to determine exactly what our ancient kinfolk were eating. Thanks to science, we now know that the A. deyiremeda species lived mostly off of forest vegetation, while the Lucy species had a far broader diet.
Tiny indentations on 2.2 million-year-old teeth have revealed a unique genetic “signature” that allowed science to differentiate between species.
We have also learnt that molecular fossils, that is, ancient DNA or proteins found in a 60,000-year-old pinkie bone, have revealed that we had an ancient, distant relative that interbred with our species.
The sheer number of discoveries about our species has left us in shock and awe
The number of discoveries that science has made regarding our history has shed light on a number of mysteries, both known and unknown.
One of the most notable findings in recent years has been the discovery of Homo Naledi in a cave system of Africa. These ancient cousins of ours displayed far more complex societal norms than we expected. Researchers found evidence of burial sites in the cave.
And what we are finding paints a complex “bushy” family tree for our lineage.
Human science has been progressing at an astonishing pace. Through our remarkable DNA sequencing technology, we can get to the bottom of some long-held mysteries that have confounded science for decades.
For example, we now understand that a long-lost cousin with no descendants today populated the American continent around 6,000 years ago.
A recent discovery made by a team of researchers from Arizona State University has found an odd set of teeth that paints a far more diverse picture of our earliest kin in the world.
How an ancient set of teeth has rewritten the story of humans on Earth
We know that our ancestors emerged from Africa and made their way to Europe in the Great Migration.
However, we used to believe that our lineage was a linear line that followed a direct path towards what we are now. Recent findings have proven this to be incorrect, and we are actually the result of interbreeding between several species.
We have also found that human-like species existed in some parts of the world at the same time as our ancestors.
How a team led by ASU scientists made a significant dental discovery
An international team of researchers led by eggheads from ASU found 13 fossilized teeth dating back roughly 2.6 to 2.8 million years in the Ledi-Geraru region of Ethiopia. The finding has identified a previously unknown species that lived alongside the Homo genus at the time.
This proves that our family tree is far more tangled and bushy than we ever thought or knew possible. Our evolution was much more complex than science thought.
How this will affect the scientific and anthropology sectors will be dramatic, as new discoveries often are. How do you feel about learning that we have far more human “cousins” that lived together at the same time in the same place?