Discovery of an 'Ancient Human' Species Likely After Fossil Find in Spain

Archaeologists in Spain have discovered a fossil of a human face that is said to be about 1.1 to 1.4 million years old. This fossil represents a significant breakthrough in archaeology and likely indicates an unknown species in the human evolutionary cycle. The fossil, found in a cave near the city of Burgos, includes bones that make up 80 percent of the left side of an adult's mid-face. In images released by the archaeologists, the cheekbone, upper jaw, and parts of the human nasal structure are clearly visible. Scientists have named the fossil 'Pink' in honor of the popular rock band Pink Floyd. The facial anatomy of the discovered fossil is older than that of the pioneering human or 'Homo antecessor', a species that lived in Western Europe about 850,000 years ago, and despite some differences, it shares similarities with the face of the upright human or 'Homo erectus', which was believed to be the first human species to migrate from Africa to Europe. According to scientists, although this fossil is not definitive enough to be confidently linked to an unknown ancient human species, there is a serious possibility that it belongs to the oldest human discovered in Europe. They have temporarily named this new species 'Homo affinis erectus' due to some similarities with Homo erectus. Rosa Huggett, a researcher at the Institute of Ancient Anthropology in Tarragona, Spain, and one of the authors of the research article published on Wednesday, March 14, in the journal 'Nature', stated: 'These findings open a new window on research into human evolution in Europe.' She added that when more fossil remains are found, more can be explained about this human species. The modern human species or 'Homo sapiens' appeared about 300,000 years ago in Africa and spread across the world, including Europe. Homo erectus, or upright human, first appeared about 1.9 million years ago in Africa and has physical similarities to modern humans. Homo antecessor, or pioneering human, also shares physical and facial anatomical similarities with modern humans.